Reawakening

by K. L. Kreig

  Inclining his head, Rom let his power flare slightly, stating evenly, “You shouldn’t be. I’m an honorable vampire.”

  He didn’t miss the quick nostril flare at his unspoken insinuation that his father wasn’t.

  “You know why you’re here?” his father clipped.

  So you can try to kill me, asshole.

  “I have a pretty good idea.”

  “You really should learn better manners, Romaric. Let’s start with bowing to your King.”

  “I said I was honorable. Not respectful.”

  His father stood abruptly, causing his mother to fall with a thud to the floor and down a few stairs. Makare still had a tight hold on the leash and from her angle on the ground she was clearly choking, clawing at the collar for relief.

  Rom gritted his teeth and barely held his fury in check. He should end this now, but he didn’t know what had become of Taiven, Geoffrey or Ainsley. Not that he should give a fuck about the first two, but he didn’t wish any harm to come to Ainsley.

  “Do you know what happens to traitors, Romaric?”

  “I’m sure you plan on telling me, Makare.”

  Malevolent eyes never leaving his, his father snapped his fingers. Seconds later, two men walked in, dragging a severely beaten and tortured vampire between them. He didn’t recognize the vampire until they got closer.

  Taiven.

  They were royally fucked.

  This was absolutely not part of the plan.

  “I don’t think I can describe how gut wrenching it is to have not only one, but two, sons betray you,” his father continued, still brutally holding his mother’s life in his hands.

  The vampires viciously threw Taiven on the cold floor at his feet, taking only a few steps back. They crossed their arms, pinning Rom with a hard, cold glare, clearly ready to do their master’s bidding. Taiven wasn’t even moving. Where the fuck were Geoffrey and Ainsley?

  Makare began walking slowly down the stairs; finally abandoning his mother, who now gulped lungsful of air.

  “You could have had everything.”

  “Freedom was preferable to living under a tyrant’s rule.”

  Makare’s jaw clenched and Rom felt the first inklings of his father’s power. Instead of throwing up his shields and negating his father’s control, he welcomed it. He reaped it. Took it as his own.

  “You will return to your rightful place or you will die. Today.”

  Rom’s eyes flitted to Taiven’s still form. He could hear the vampire’s breaths. They were shallow and uneven, but even for the short time he’d been unceremoniously dumped there he was rapidly improving. He wondered if his father was aware.

  “Cut the shit. You’d sooner have my head than have me rule by your side.”

  An evil smile curled his father’s mouth. “Not true. You may have left, but I’ve decided that’s a betrayal I can forgive. Your brother’s betrayal, however, I cannot.”

  Makare didn’t know they were working together to kill him? What other betrayal could he possibly be referring to?

  “My plate’s kind of full at the moment. I’ll check back with you in another six hundred years.”

  “Hmmm. I think I have something that may change your mind. Son.” Makare’s eyes slowly made their way to Rom’s mating mark and his blood ran ice cold. “Ah, yes. I am aware of your recent mating status.”

  As if waiting for her cue, Ainsley walked in. And she wasn’t alone.

  “Sarah …” Rom uttered.

  He could hardly breathe. Unbridled rage boiled his blood to the breaking point and his gut burned at Ainsley’s betrayal.

  How the fuck did they find Sarah? He’d only left her a couple hours ago and she was supposed to be at Dev’s. Was Geoffrey in on the ruse as well, pretending all along to help him? Of course he was. How could he not be?

  He couldn’t work out the fucking mess he now saw in front of him.

  “Come here, pet,” his father called to his mate.

  “Don’t. You. Fucking. Touch. Her,” he gritted. The one advantage he’d had over his father he’d given away as part of their elaborate scheme to take him down. He’d not liked the idea from the beginning, but his father would expect something unexpected from Rom. He wouldn’t from Taiven.

  And now … now he had nothing to best his father with. Taiven lay in a broken pile on the ground and his father had his mate. His father had him firmly by the balls and by the smirk on his face he knew it.

  This was a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

  This was the end.

  “It’s okay, Romaric. Your mate and I have been getting to know each other.”

  Sarah shook, but didn’t say a word as Ainsley walked her straight to his father. Makare’s pulled her in front of him and wrapped an arm around his mate’s neck, pinning her tightly to his body. It was a clear threat.

  “Sarah, are you okay?”

  No response.

  Fuck!

  His mind completely shut down. Whatever his father asked of him, he’d gladly do. He now had the upper hand, holding the only thing that mattered to Rom in his dirty, slimy hands.

  “Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just let her go.”

  “Good. I’m glad we’re finally seeing eye-to-eye. First, what I want is for you to kill your traitorous brother. Right now. And if it’s all the same to you, I’ll hang onto your lovely Sarah until you comply.”

  Makare looked to the two vampires standing just a few feet away and one produced a long, sharp sword, similar to the Kilij that he favored. He was handed the steel, which now hung heavy and offending in his hand.

  Rom may not trust Taiven, or even like him at this point, but he certainly did not want to kill him. And not when he was unable to defend himself. But what other choice did he have? He would not put Sarah’s life in jeopardy.

  “Give me your word you will not harm her if I comply.”

  “You have my word.” Makare’s word meant nothing. He was completely backed into a fucking corner with no way out.

  With his foot, Rom pushed Taiven so that he lay on his back. His heart rate and pulse sounded stronger than before and his injuries had even lessened in the few minutes he’d been lying there, but his eyes were still closed and unmoving.

  Rom’s stomach felt like undiluted acid had been poured directly into it and it was eating his innards from the inside out. His father knew exactly what he was doing. Protecting his own head, he’d put his mate directly in front of him. Rom couldn’t flash behind him in an attempt to sever it, because Sarah would get hurt at any angle.

  “It will be okay, Sarah.” He tried to sound reassuring when he felt anything but. Looking into her eyes, he expected fear, but instead he saw steely resolve.

  “Do it. Now,” his father thundered.

  “Forgive me, brother,” he whispered.

  As he unwillingly raised the weighty blade to strike his brother dead, the events that unfolded happened so fast his addled brain could hardly keep up. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glint of steel being raised and plunged into the heart of his mate so fast he couldn’t react. His father’s face then twisted in pain and he let out a roar so loud, it shook the stone walls as he loosened his death grip on Sarah and she fell forward, clutching her chest, but not making a sound.

  But then Sarah’s form dissolved and changed right before his very eyes. And standing in her place was Geoffrey. Makare was twisted around, eyes behind him, taking his attention from Geoffrey, who now brandished a sword matching the one he held which was whizzing through the air.

  Rom watched with apathy and confusion as his father’s head fell slowly from his body, his eyes frozen in surprise. Already unleashing his power, he immediately prepared himself for a battle with Ainsley and the other two vampires, but they calmly stood by watching the events unfold as if it had all been orchestrated.

  What.

  The.

  Fuck?

  It all had been orchestrated. Or re-orchestrated. Without his knowledg
e.

  A plethora of emotions hit him at once, threatening to bring him to his knees. The biggest of them being relief.

  Relief that Sarah wasn’t actually here with a dagger through her heart.

  Relief that he hadn’t been double-crossed.

  And relief that the threat to his current and future happiness was lying in a pile of now rotting flesh and blood on the floor at his feet.

  Chapter 62

  Sarah

  Two weeks later…

  She was so nervous she could throw up. She hadn’t even been this nervous to talk to her parents the first time after she’d been rescued.

  “How are you doing, my beauty?”

  “Good. Good. I’m really … good.”

  Laughing, he pulled her onto his lap. They were, once again, sitting in a stretch limousine and the memories of what they’d done last time raced through her head, but she was too damned jittery to re-enact them. And besides … this time they weren’t alone.

  “You’re not a very good liar,” Rom whispered in her ear. “Would you like me to take your mind off it?”

  Would she ever.

  He chuckled. “Oh, the pleasures I’m going to lavish on your body later, Sarah.”

  “Do tell.”

  “First, I’m going to—”

  “Would you guys knock it off? I can see the flush of her skin from here, for Christ’s sake,” Giselle jibed.

  “Tell me again why we brought them along?” Rom grumbled.

  Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Romaric, I can’t just show up on his doorstep, popping up out of thin air. Be nice,” she scolded.

  “I can’t believe you let your woman talk to you like that,” Mike joked, pulling Giselle so close to him she was sure no air circulated between them. The love she saw arching between the two was palpable and the raw possessiveness in the way Mike touched her was reminiscent of how the lords handled their mates.

  Hmmm?

  Rom glared his way. “Like you’re one to talk, human.”

  The vehicle slowed and finally stopped in front of a small, but decent looking ranch house. The gray paint was faded and peeling and the driveway, with weeds growing through the cracks, had seen better days, but this was it.

  Her grandfather’s house.

  “I think I’m going to throw up,” she muttered.

  Rom grabbed her face, turning her toward him. “He will love you as much as I do, beauty. How can he not?”

  He always knew what to say to make her feel better. A smile tugged the corner of her mouth. “I love you, Rom.”

  “I think I’m going to throw up,” Giselle complained, stepping out the car.

  “You got this, Sarah,” Mike said, patting her knee upon his exit, earning him a vicious glare from her mate.

  Rom stepped out first, holding out his hand for hers. Then they were standing at the door, ringing the doorbell, waiting for it to be answered. Rom supported her wobbly legs with an arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

  Bud Clark was expecting them. Well, he was at least expecting Detective Mike Thatcher, Giselle’s unexpected boyfriend or lover or whatever he was to her. He was the one savvy enough to find Bud Clark in the first place. He was the one that had the foresight to take snapshots of the family tree, her mother and Seraphina. And he was the one responsible for reuniting a long lost family.

  The door opened and standing there was not only her grandfather, but who she assumed was her aunt Brynne. She hadn’t seen pictures of her before. Two sets of eyes latched immediately onto hers. The resemblance to her aunt Brynne was unbelievable.

  Mike cleared his throat. “Bud, Brynne, I’d like to introduce you to Marna’s daughter. Sarah Dietrich.”

  ______________

  They walked into the great room, hand in hand, one of the last to arrive. Quickly scanning the room, however, she didn’t see the one vampire that she’d hoped would be there.

  “Sarah!” Kate and Analise called to her at the same time from across the room and rushed to her side, pulling her away from her mate. “How did it go?” Analise excitedly asked.

  She couldn’t help the broad smile that hadn’t left her face all day. They’d spent several hours this morning and early afternoon with her grandfather and aunt. Even her mother and father had been genuinely excited that they were going to meet.

  “It was great. My grandpa Bud couldn’t stop hugging me. And I really liked Brynne. She’s not that much older than I am. We’re going to have dinner sometime next week.”

  “And Rom was okay with that?” Analise probed.

  She shrugged one shoulder. “He suggested it.”

  “Huh?”

  “Analise, stop. He’s not that bad,” Sarah scolded. Her sisters had her back, but they were unnecessarily hard on Rom. She was tired of everyone thinking her mate was emotionless and mean. He wasn’t.

  “You’re right, Sarah. I’m sorry. I can see that he’s changed.” Analise pulled into a quick hug. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Say, don’t you start classes next week?” Kate asked.

  With all that had happened in the last few weeks, she’d waffled on whether to continue with the two classes she’d signed up for, but after some gentle coaxing from Rom, she decided to finish her degree.

  “Yes. I’m excited.” And she genuinely was.

  Changing the topic, she asked, “Is Geoffrey coming?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard,” Kate replied.

  She hoped so. She wanted to thank the vampire who had single-handedly been responsible for saving not only her own life, but her mate’s.

  Chapter 63

  Rom

  “What the fuck are you wearing?” Damian quipped, handing him a beer. Rom had a hard time taking his eyes off Sarah, who now stood with her sisters, talking excitedly about her little family reunion. In fact, he had a hard time being away from her for any length of time these days.

  Rom looked down at his black t-shirt and dark denims. He had to admit, they were more comfortable than he thought they would be. And the lust he’d seen in Sarah’s eyes as she raked over him slowly when he’d walked out of the closet was worth every minute he spent in them. In fact, he had a dozen more pairs on order.

  “I believe they’re called jeans.”

  “I know what they’re called, asshole. I’ve never seen you wear a pair. In your life.”

  “I’m turning over a new leaf. Where’s Taiven?” The fuck if he was going to stand here and discuss his wardrobe with Damian. It was bad enough him and Dev were already so far up his business, he felt like all his privacy had been stripped. Practically nothing was sacred between Sarah and her sisters. He knew things about both Damian and Dev that he simply wanted to scour out of his brain.

  Damian jerked his head toward the opposite end of the room. “He and Dev have been huddled in the corner for quite some time.”

  “And Geoffrey?”

  “I haven’t seen him yet.”

  Rom hadn’t spoken to Geoffrey since that night. He owed the vampire his and Taiven’s life. And that of Sarah’s. Once again. He wouldn’t be standing here today, with his mate, if it weren’t for Geoffrey.

  None of them would. Time and again over the last several weeks Geoffrey had proven himself trustworthy. And it was time all past indiscretions were put behind them, so he could start anew with a clean slate.

  “What the hell happened that night?” Damian inquired.

  Rom hadn’t talked about it, other than with Sarah. The only thing he’d told the lords was that things hadn’t gone quite as planned, but his father was dead by Geoffrey’s hand. But it was time they knew, because he expected them to all be on board with letting Geoffrey move on with his life. He deserved their forgiveness and like it or not, they owed him. Not the other way around.

  But he was going to play with Damian a bit before he told him. Yes, he’d lightened up considerably since he’d met Sarah, her playfulness quickly rubbing off.

  “Are you
going to whine like a bitch baby if I don’t tell you?”

  “Fuck off. I’m not sure I like this new you,” Damian retorted, walking away.

  He laughed and it felt good. Really good. With Xavier and his father dead, and especially with Sarah at his side, he felt like a completely new vampire.

  He felt liberated.

  Alive.

  Like he was really living for the first time in his long life.

  And it felt fucking phenomenal.

  Sarah had singlehandedly reawakened things in him that he’d long buried and thought dead. Things he wasn’t even sure ever existed before. She owned every part of him. Now and forever.

  Taiven caught his eye and ended his conversation with Dev, striding toward him. Rom had seen his brother only once since that night, but they had been too preoccupied burying their mother to make small talk. At that time, Taiven still had a few more serious injuries that hadn’t quite healed and it was a strange relief to lay eyes on his brother’s healthy form once again.

  “Brother,” Taiven greeted.

  “Brother.” He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. After a few silent beats, he added, “You look well.”

  “I should be fucking pissed at you for almost chopping off my head, but … curiously I’m not. Even though I haven’t found my Moira yet, I find that in the same situation, I would likely have done the same thing.” He would have. Without a second thought.

  Rom couldn’t respond. Given the chance to redo that night, he wouldn’t have made a different decision, but guilt ate at him nonetheless that he was willing to take his brother’s life.

  “Geoffrey’s plan was brilliant, I’ll give him that. I owe him my life.”

  “As do I,” he responded quietly.

  “Listen, about Sarah …” Taiven started.

  “Forget it. It’s done and over with and so long as you stay out of her goddamned dreams, it shall stay in the past.” The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his mate with Taiven. He was still plenty pissed, but not wanting to carry around another burden, he was willing to put it behind him.