by Claire Marta
“And Ava’s agreed to this?” Gracefully, Magar rises to his feet.
Bowing my head I can feel every pair of eyes swing my way. Trying to squeeze myself into a smaller ball I wish them all away.
“Princess?”
Damien wants an answer.
I’ve just survived being shot, sold, held captive for days and raped I don’t need this pressure right now.
“I don’t know...maybe.” It comes out as a murmur. “I need some time to think.”
“There’s nothing to think about.” Oscar circles around, until I can see his legs to my left, as I keep my attention on the floor. “This is what we planned and this is the way it’s going to be. You said you could see it was in your best interests.”
“Please...I...”
“Ava, you are a Chevalier, you have other options.” Magar moves to my right. “You don’t need to comply with anything you were forced to agree to while being held prisoner.”
Hunching, panic locks my limbs as my shoulder aches.
Why won’t they leave me alone?
I just need time to breathe.
Everything feels like it’s closing in around me.
Flashbacks of the basement and the cage I was held in race through my head.
“Enough. Everyone out. I want blood bought up to us so she can feed.” Damien cuts in before they can start arguing. “I think she’s been put through enough today.”
“I still need to tell her about her family. She has the right to know.”
“And you can tell us everything after I’ve made sure she’s rested and had time to heal.”
I don’t look up as I hear Magar’s frustrated sigh.
Footsteps troop towards the door, then I hear it click closed.
Damien hasn’t left. I can sense him lingering.
Releasing a deep breath I close my eyes, resting my forehead on my knees. I can’t stop shaking.
After everything I feel as if I’m falling apart again.
The Rochesters are alive.
I’m free of Jonathan Carr and Ivan for now. I’ve finally found my mother’s family.
Why don’t I feel happy?
CHAPTER TWENTY
Damien
THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN someone is mentally broken. In my line of work I’ve seen it far too often.
I’ve always been terrified of the day in which someone I cared about would reach that point. I’m not delusional, I know my family won’t come out of this unscathed.
I don’t care about this female, at least I try hard not to. But anyone who has gone through the shit she has earns my respect. And what little sympathy I can give.
Scooping her up I place her gently in the center of the bed. Removing my suit jacket I hang it on the corner of the now broken armoire.
I kick off my shoes and then climb on the bed with Ava.
“I hate you” She whispers.
“I hate you too, princess.” I reply.
“You should have just killed me.”
“Perhaps.” I sigh, stretching out on the bed. God it’s been forever since I laid in a bed because I wanted to, not because I had to out of sheer exhaustion.
“You promised to protect me.” Her voice is small. She sounds so dejected. “You might not have touched me against my will, but you’re just as bad as everyone else.”
“I never pretended not to be. If you thought any different than that’s your problem, princess. My family and I will always look out for each other. Before anyone else.
I won’t force you to marry me. God knows I don’t really want to mate with anyone. But as I’ve been saying this whole time, it’s the most logical thing.
We won’t keep you from getting to know your family. We understand the importance.”
“Stop,” she whispers. “Just stop. You keep saying ‘we’, but what about you? How do you, as the individual feel?”
“That is how I feel. I can’t afford to feel, princess.”
Ava curls further into herself, if that’s even possible. Oscar walks in the room with a few bags of blood.
As low on resources as we are, with as many people we have to sustain, we can’t afford to rely on the handful of human we have. Phillip will need to organize for more soon.
“Here,” ripping open the bag I hand it over. “Slowly, princess.” I scold softly when she begins to gulp it down.
Oscar turns to leave but I hold up a hand to stop him.
“Let Oscar look you over, please. I will feel better if he does.” Cautiously I run a hand through her tangled hair.
“I’m fine.”
“Let him anyway.” Sad amber eyes meet mine.
“If I agree will you leave me alone?”
“No.” I answer. “But it will make us both feel better. I swear we’re going to kill the fuckers who hurt you. But we need time. We’re powerful sure, but we’re not stupid. In order for all of us to come out of this alive we need to have a plan. A solid one.”
Oscar runs gentle hands over Ava’s battered naked flesh. “No internal injuries, besides whatever is going on in your brain.” Oscar says after a few minutes.
“My brothers and I can help relieve you of the stress,” he tells her. “We can understand you better than anyone because of what we can do. We all have experience with understanding the human psyche. Which applies to the Supernatural psyche as well. Don’t hide from us. Damien will keep his word. He will keep you safe.”
“I didn’t know you had a sympathetic bone in your body.” She doesn’t even try to put heat in her voice.
“We’re all full of surprises, princess.” He mutters.
“Thank you, Oscar. How is Dominic?”
“Not as pissed as you would think. Argo, however, is. Samson and Shaun are guarding Sheila and Phillip’s room. They have barricaded themselves in there.”
“You understand what must happen?”
“We have to call for a meeting with the true leader of Dominic’s coven.”
“Correct. We need to find the heir and see if we can’t get them on board with our cause.”
“You’re going to let Sheila kill my family?”
“Only your grandfather.” I tell her. “Dominic was correct when he said it was politics. However, there’s a difference between politics and killing someone in cold blood.
Heirs kills their parents when their parents are ready to stand down. Only those like Lucius, who want power before their time, callously murder their predecessor. Your grandfather wasn’t the first born. He coveted power that wasn’t his.
Revenge must be had.”
“Wouldn’t the coven go to war if that happened? I just don’t believe I can trust whatever Sheila says.”
“Our sister only gets emotional over one thing. Her family. She doesn’t open up and care for many. So her reaction is jarring us all. I’m afraid she’s going to go off the rails. I know I would.” Oscar replies. “You might have been too out of it to hear. But Magar and his brother confirmed that your grandfather stole power.
As for war, that’s something Dominic and your cousins can hopefully answer for us in time.”
Oscar leaves the room after that.
“I know you’ve been through a lot. There’s been a lot of bloodshed, there will be more.
I don’t trust those Chevalier bastards. One of my sister’s oldest friends has lied to her for years. That won’t go over well.
Lucas will get his chance to see you. To see his daughter’s child. However, he will not live long.
If you can’t accept that I suggest you keep that opinion to yourself.
You may be under Rochester protection, but that will not stop you from being hurt by one of us.
We don’t make threats. We make promises. My sister will have no problem killing anyone who gets in her way.”
“Your sister will just use any excuse to kill me.”
“She went after you, didn’t she? She called in her brothers for you. Yes, I asked it of her, but she didn’t have
to comply. Especially since it involved her younger brothers.
I may be the first born, I may be ruthless, but I will never ask anything from my siblings they wouldn’t or couldn’t handle.
If any of us tried to step in, she’d kill us. That’s just how we operate.”
“Doesn’t sound like the type of family I want to be apart of.”
“You have a choice. We will fight to keep you. But compliance will work in both our favors.”
Ava finishes a second bag of blood and slides under the covers. “I...I need to think. My head feels like it’s exploding.”
“Understood.”
Standing I slip my feet back into my shoes and don my jacket. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.
You’re safe here. That is a promise.”
I leave her to rest.
I don’t know what she’ll choose.
I would rather not be forced into another war. I can’t afford any more enemies. This is where I hope that Argo’s fondness for Sheila sways him in our favor over the Chevaliers if it comes to that.
I will not lose my family because of one cowardly coven.
Ava
Sitting at the window seat in the kitchen of the mansion I watch the wind play with the leaves in the trees. Two days have passed since my rescue. After being left to rest I slept through a solid forty-eight hours. Yet even now I still feel exhausted.
Oscar has assured me it’s just my body’s way of coping with everything it’s been put through. I know it has a few of them worried. Their whispers are not so quiet that I haven’t picked them up.
I’ve kept to myself since rising. Preferring the quiet, less crowded spots, with no urge to seek anyone else out or to fend off inquiries about how I’m doing.
The last conversation I had with Damien keeps playing through my head. Even though he doesn’t say it, he loves his family. You don’t protect them the way he does unless you feel something, even if he says he can’t afford to. He will always put them first.
If I agree to marry him would I be considered family too?
Would he feel anything for me apart from hate, lust and fleeting moments of compassionate pity?
A small amount of affection perhaps that could grow into something more? Or would I always remain an outsider.
The daughter of an enemy they will always despise. Someone to hurt if I voiced my opinion or got in their way.
Those are my fears.
Ones that hound me every moment I’ve been awake.
He’d said they would fight to keep me, but does that also mean they would stop me if I decided to leave? They need me, after all, to secure their full claim.
“Ava?”
Magar’s soft voice breaks into my depressed thoughts.
“May I join you?”
“Sure.” Shuffling over I make him a space on the cushions.
“How are you feeling?”
“Tired, confused. Still not sure what I want to do.”
“That’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot.” He sighs as he stares at me with troubled eyes. “I would have gotten you out sooner, but I was under orders to observe and now I’ve overstepped the line.”
He looks just as tired as I feel. Tense too.
“How? What did you do?”
“What didn’t I do?” His laugh is humorless. “I helped with your escape, which for one second I will never regret, and I’ve revealed our family to the Rochesters which was never supposed to happen.”
Hesitantly I take his hand. He’s family to me. The only one I may ever have and I can only guess at what he risked to help me.
“Why weren’t you supposed to reveal yourself?” I ask.
“Because that’s how we operate. People refer to us as ghosts because we are. We may not be many, but believe me, we have power. Dominic is only one face of the families that fall under our rule. No one knows how many we have, but it’s far more than anyone is led to believe.”
I frown. “I still don’t understand.”
“Grandfather doesn’t like us getting involved too much, which is why we use someone else as a representative. One of the head family will pose as a guard or another member of staff for them.
We also use disguises if we think we might get recognized, which is rare.” Magar explains.
“And Sheila recognized you.” Turning towards the window I watch several guards walk across the grass on their security rounds. Damien had told me I was safe here but I don’t think I will ever feel safe again.
“She saw me and my brother, Grey, together.” He admits with a squeeze of my hand. “I hadn’t realised it was going to be a problem. I was too worried about you to think it through.”
For some reason what he says strikes me as off. It’s fleeting and I am not sure why. Not the concern for me, no that seems genuine, but the other part.
“She wants to kill him...our grandfather.” I confess knowing he has probably guess that already through her actions. “Why?”
Magar nods as his gaze bounces towards the door to make sure we aren’t being overheard. “He was one of twin brothers. Mathew was the eldest and her fiancé. Lucas...our grandfather murdered him to get the title and position.”
More death and deception, it makes me sick.
“It’s always about power.”
“No. Something far more dangerous.” Magar cuts in silencing me. “Lucas was in love with Sheila but she never knew. He was eaten up with jealousy that she chose Mathew instead of him. That’s why he killed his own blood and took the coven for himself.”
This revelation stuns me. It was not what I had been expecting.
“When things finally calmed down and he moved to claim her as his own she had already disappeared.” He continues. “We’ve heard stories how he searched for her. Then when he realised he could waste no more time he married our grandmother to make heirs.”
“Does he know that Sheila’s here?” My voice dropping to a whisper. For some reason I suddenly feel a sense of foreboding that makes me feel scared for us all.
“No.” Magar shakes his head. “The moment I figured out who she was I told Dominic and my brother he could never know.”
“Damien told me they want a meeting with the real head of your coven. They’re going to meet again...there’s going to be a bloodbath.”
My fragile bubble of calm that has woven itself around me begins to crack. The storms and threats around us never seem to cease.
“Only if we allow one.” Magar smiles reassuringly. “What is between them doesn’t have to affect the rest of the coven if we allow them to deal with it as individuals. Many of us don’t agree with what he did. His obsession for this female has driven him half mad.”
His optimism gives me a little spark of hope. I really don’t want to watch the Chevalier and Rochesters rip themselves apart. We have enough bloodshed yet to come.
“What if he demands a war?”
“Oh the heir won’t allow that.” Tugging me up he moves to stand. “Don’t worry.”
“And how do you know that?” I ask as he leads me into the hallway.
“Because I just do. No one wants to risk a war between more covens with everything so unstable right now. Before you ask any more questions you need to spend some time with my brother.”
Voices murmur from different rooms. Damien’s deep tone is mixed with his brothers.
I know they have to be plotting their next move. It makes sense to make sure we’re fully capable of what needs to be done, with Jonathan and Lucius waiting to annihilate us.
We find my other cousin in the music room. Head tilted to one side his fingers gracefully move over the keys of a grand piano as he plays a classical tune.
Grey has the same dark hair as Magar and brown eyes almost as amber as my own.
Sensing us he ceases his task.
“Ava, this is Grey, my younger brother.” Magar introduces.
“Cousin,” Grey’s smile is shy.
For some rea
son being around him puts me in a better mood. “Hi.”
“Your mental defenses are low.” Magar tells me as he directs me to sit beside his brother. “You need to build them back up so no one can invade your thoughts.”
“You mean Damien and his brothers.” I correct.
“We only have your best interests in mind. If you decide to marry him and unite the covens here in New York, you should at least be strong enough to keep him from reading you all the time. Especially with our family involved in your life from now on.”
Running my fingers lightly over the piano keys I know he is right. So open and exposed to them, I don’t feel like I can keep a thought to myself. It makes me feel nervous, just how easily they can slip into my mind. Remembering what I went through so they could crack me, makes my hands shake.
“We understand the Rochesters are doing what is right for their family, but if you don’t want to marry him we can help you disappear. No one will ever find you again, we promise.”
Grey’s gentle hand closes over mine. The strength and assurance that pulses through the connection gives me the grounding I need.
“How do I stop them reading me so easily unless I want them to?”
“Like you Grey was born with two abilities.” Magar explains as he moves to lean against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. “He can help you reinforce your mental walls while you rebuild them. His gift is so strong not even the Rochesters combined will ever be able to read him.”
I nod. For now I don’t want to think about the future. All the decisions I will have to eventually make are weighing me down.
I’m still so raw.
The girl I was before is gone, I need to rise from the ashes of my fears and become someone stronger.
Maybe I will take up Oscar’s offer to relieve my stress.
“Are you going to set the meeting up with Grandfather?”
“Yes.” Magar confirms. “In three days time. He’s going to want to see you. Tell you all about your Chevalier side. That should be enough time for you to find your feet again.”
And prepare for what’s to come.
He doesn’t say the words but I see them written all of his face. We have no idea how this will play out.
I know though that the Rochesters will stand behind Sheila one hundred percent.
