by Scott, K. M.
“Okay, I’ve got Thane and Ramiel on and Nico, you there?” Vasilije said from next to the large table they all sat around.
“I’m here, Vasilije. And congratulations, Saint and Solenne. I wish I could’ve been there to celebrate your big day.”
“Thane, let’s get started,” Vasilije said. “Tell us what you found out.”
Declan heard the hope in Vasilije’s voice and silently seconded it. The quicker they figured out the Prophecy of Idolas, the quicker they could all get back to their lives. Now that Vasilije had Sasa, he more than ever before seemed to be a man in search of the quiet life.
“Well, first of all, I want everyone to know that without the Order sending Kali to help translate, Ramiel and I might still be sitting in the monastery cellar stuck on the first few words of the prophecy. Please tell the members of the Order thank you from all of us, Nico.”
“Will do, Thane. They’ll be happy to hear she’s already helping. She’s one of the best they have.”
“We had the first few lines translated before Vasilije left, so let me begin with them. ‘In the end of ages at the twilight of years, they rose to heights as great.’ We figured this referred to the Archons’ rise to power, so we went on from there. The next line is, ‘Who is born not made will hold the key.’ This refers to someone we think is a born vampire. So far we don’t know who this could be, but at least we know we’ll be searching for a key of some sort.”
“Do you have any idea where this key could be?” Terek asked.
“Not yet, but Kali knows a great deal more about Greek history than Ramiel or I do, so we hope we can figure this out soon. She and Sion are working on it.”
“You said you made a breakthrough. Thane. Tell us about that,” Vasilije said.
“Okay. As vampires, we all know about the eight sons of Macaria and Navarus. It’s where the need for eight vampires to be Sons of Navarus at all times comes from. Deimos, Erasmos, Haemon, Ianos, Monimos, Origenes, Nikator, and Idolas, the eight sons, are important and we believe, part of the prophecy. Idolas was the one who made the prophecy, remember.”
“Okay, so what’s the deal with these eight sons of the first vampire?” Dante asked impatiently.
Thane paused a moment and then answered, “It was Kali who remembered hearing this years ago. Idolas was the one child of Macaria and Navarus who wasn’t a vampire.”
The room fell silent, and Terek nodded. “I remember hearing that centuries ago. That’s not a myth, Thane?”
“We don’t think so. In fact, from what we can figure out, Idolas was born a seer, not a vampire, like his parents. Different than all his brothers, he was fair haired too. And here’s the breakthrough. All of us seem to be descendants of Idolas.”
Declan looked around at the rest in the room to see if they were as shocked at what Thane had just said as he was. From the looks on their faces, he wasn’t alone in his surprise.
“Are you saying we’re all related somehow, Thane?” Dante asked.
“In some strange twist of fate, yes.”
“Not strange at all, I think,” Nico said from the other line. “It makes perfect sense. The Order chooses the men to serve as Sons of Navarus, and it doesn’t seem logical they’d choose just anyone.”
Dante looked over at Declan and smiled. “I guess this explains why despite all your problems you’re a Son.”
For a long time, Declan had wondered why the Order of Macaria had chosen him. He’d always assumed it had something to do with his ability to walk among humans so easily, but this made a hell of a lot more sense.
“There’s even more. Since Kali arrived, we’ve been able to decipher another stanza of the prophecy that we believe relates to the second son, Erasmos. Remember his story? He was the son who was the outsider of the family. He saved the only mortal daughter of Hermes, Desdemona, from a rapist and after that, Hermes loved him like he was his own son.”
“I remember that,” Solenne said looking back at Declan. “I always liked that story.”
“Well, listen to this. ‘The son of two fathers, ferried from exile through love.’ We think this refers to Erasmos being accepted by his parents after saving Desdemona.”
“That’s all well and good, but how does this help in understanding how to defeat the Archons? And I’m confused. If Saint is a Son because he’s the descendant of Idolas, why wasn’t Teagan made a Son?”
“Not all descendants of Idolas can be offered the chance to be a Son, Vasilije,” Terek said.
“Actually, I think I can help here,” Declan said. “Teagan and I have the same mother, but two different fathers. Our mother was left alone by my natural father before I was born, and she met Teagan’s father right after. He brought me up as his own, but he wasn’t my father, technically. Teagan never knew, but we weren’t full brothers.”
“Saint, are you saying you had two fathers?” Thane asked.
“I guess. I never met my real father, but I guess you can say I have two fathers.”
“Thane, I think you need to take another look at what you’ve deciphered so far. What you just read to us sounds like it can apply to Saint as well as Erasmos. Ferried from exile through love? Sound familiar?” Terek asked.
The room fell silent as Terek’s words sunk in. If the prophecy told something of each of the current Sons, it may be easier to figure out how to stop the Archons. At least now, it seemed, they weren’t dealing with an archaic past but things dealing with the present.
“Terek, you should see Ramiel’s face right now. I think this could be the second smile I’ve ever seen on his face the whole time I’ve known him.”
“Before anyone begins to celebrate not only this breakthrough but Saint and Solenne’s wedding, there’s something you all need to know,” Nico said in a tone that erased the happiness of Thane’s. “The Order has heard rumors that the Archons weren’t satisfied with just killing one of us at a time. We hear that now they’ll be going for a Son and all their vampires from this point on.”
Solenne gripped Declan’s hand tightly as a somber mood came over the group. From now on, not only was each Son marked for death but every vampire they’d ever sired was too. For someone like Terek, who had thousands of vampires, this meant unless he was able to find a way to protect them all, he was going to see some die because of who he was.
“If there’s any bright side I can report, it’s this. They’re claiming they’ve already gotten Saint. Your French Archon says he dusted Saint that night in his office. Any idea why he thinks this, Saint?”
“Because he doesn’t want anyone to know I nearly drained him dead. His ego is pretty big.”
“Well, he’s become quite a splash in the Archon community, from what we hear down here. I don’t think that’s the last we’ll hear from him, but at least this means you can rest a little easier.”
“Nico, do they know who all of the current Sons are?” Sasa asked.
“I wish I knew the answer to that, Sasa. The Order hasn’t been able to confirm that the Archons know who we all are. All we know is that they believe they got one of the Sons already. Unfortunately, Vasilije, your spy Arnie let them know you’re still alive. But thankfully, we’re all still alive, so let the Archons say anything they want.”
Declan looked over at Vasilije and saw Nico’s words had shaken him, but quickly he seemed to shake off any concern.
“Take care of yourselves, and if we find out anything here in Greece, I’ll let you all know. Until then, congratulations on the wedding and enjoy the honeymoon,” Nico said with a chuckle.
“We’ll continue working on our end here at the monastery, and hopefully, we’ll have more soon. Now that we have a different angle to tackle and Kali’s help, things might come easier,” Thane said in his usual hopeful voice before hanging up.
“I think it’s time we let the newlyweds begin their honeymoon. We can handle the rest of the meeting without you two, I think,” Terek said with a sly smile.
Solenne rose to give him a hug
. “Thank you so much for everything, Terek. You and your vampires have been so wonderful to me all those months I was here waiting for Declan, and now you’re letting us stay here at your beautiful home even longer. We appreciate it.”
Declan saw Terek wink at her as he said, “I told you to have faith it would all work out.”
“Thank you for inviting us, Solenne,” Sasa said. “It was beautiful, my first vampire wedding.”
“We’ll give you a few days alone before we bother you again, Saint. If we find out anything before then, I’ll let Terek decide if he needs to let you know,” Vasilije said with a grin.
Declan didn’t see Terek bothering anyone when it came to a woman, so hopefully, even if Vasilije did call with news, he and Solenne wouldn’t have to deal with it anytime soon. After they said their goodbyes, they walked hand in hand through the great hall out into the courtyard. The night was hazy and warm and with Solenne’s hand in his, he led her to the room they’d shared since he’d arrived at Terek’s.
Closing the door, he saw her standing at the window bathed in the silvery glow of the moonlight. How many nights had he seen her just like that, and yet this night he looked at her as if for the first time.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him.
“I’m thinking that this is nothing like what I’d ever imagined when I dreamed of us together.”
Leaning next to her ear, he pressed a soft kiss on her neck. “I know you wish you were back home in France. I promise we’ll go back there as soon as we can.”
Solenne turned in his arms and looked up at him. Blue eyes full of love stared into his, and smiling, she said, “I do miss my home, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we’re together. France, Spain, wherever. Home is where you are, Declan.”
Kissing her, he let the realization of that truth wash over him. Of all the places he’d traveled in his lifetime, nowhere had ever felt like home without Solenne. Finally, after all those years, he was home.
LONGING
(A Sons of Navarus Short Story)
The events of the following short story take place between Blood Betrayed (Book #2 in the series) and Blood Spirit (Book #3 in the series.)
Thane stuffed his hands into his pockets and fought the urge to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay. He hated seeing her like this, and it was happening more and more. She deserved better than to be tied to an arrogant bastard who could leave her so easily.
“I’m sure he’ll be back soon Sasa,” was all he could meekly offer, afraid if he said much more the truth of what he thought of Vasilije and how he treated her would spill out of his mouth before he could stop the words.
Slowly, her quiet sobbing ended and a tiny smile tried to brighten her beautiful sad face. Wiping her eyes, she said, “I just don’t know what to do sometimes. Things are so different here.”
She took a deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh. Turning to face him, she said, “Thank you, Thane. I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to me whine about this nonsense.”
He reached out to touch her cheek and wiped a stray tear. It felt cool on his fingertip, and he let his touch linger a moment. Her smile faded slightly, making him move away. Before he knew it, he felt her walls go up as she spoke.
“I need to get things ready for Terek. I think we have those dates he likes. I should go check.”
“Sasa…” He wanted to say more, but he didn’t. He knew her well enough to know when her voice became robotic like that she couldn’t be reached. It had happened enough since they’d become friends that he knew to back off.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to.
“I know what you’re going to say, Thane, and you’re wrong.”
He sat back from her and shook his head. “I know you don’t read minds, Sasa. You may know what I’m feeling, but you don’t know what I’m thinking.”
Thane had no idea if she knew how he felt when he was near her. He was pretty sure he kept his true feelings for her hidden, playing the role of friend as well as possible. Maybe she knew, though. Maybe she knew that she was the last thought he had every morning and the first one in his mind when he awoke alone every night.
Maybe she knew what even he sometimes couldn’t believe.
She turned her face away from him. “You’re thinking he doesn’t care or respect me. I see it in your face.”
“That’s not what I think.”
But it was. He’d watched how Vasilije had been with her in the months they’d all been at the monastery. She fawned over him, her gaze all adoring as he paid her only the merest attention on the best of occasions. Tonight’s leaving after they’d fought once again only served to cement the idea in Thane’s mind. And if he was right, they’d fought over the son of a bitch inviting his former lovers to stay at the monastery.
She spun around to face him, her brown eyes full of anguish. “It is! You think I’m a fool. You think I care for him and he sees me as nothing more than one of his vampires. One of thousands.”
Thane remained silent, unwilling to deny what he believed in his heart to be true.
“Well, you’re wrong! You just don’t understand what we have together.”
He kept his mouth closed and nodded. She was right. He didn’t understand what they had, whatever it was. If she was his woman…
“You just don’t understand him.”
That was a lie. He understood all too well what kind of male Vasilije was. He’d known exactly what he was for centuries. No vampire had been a bigger prick than Vasilije, especially to women. He’d watched the fellow Son in action, sometimes with three or four a night. So many thought Terek was the one who collected women. At least he cared for his.
Vasilije would do to Sasa what he’d done to every other female naive enough to become involved with him. Soon he’d grow tired of her, just like the others. She’d want too much, expect too much, and be too much hassle for a male who’d seen females as disposable above all for ages.
Thane thought about the parties at Vasilije’s house—hell, they’d been nothing less than orgies, in truth—and he couldn’t imagine that man had changed enough to deserve a kind heart like Sasa’s. But she was his vampire, and sires like Vasilije enjoyed the control that position afforded them.
Pushing this out of his mind, he nodded once again. “I just don’t want to see you hurt,” he admitted, half hoping she’d finally know what he truly felt about her.
That sweet smile that had made him fall for her broke the tension between them, and she gently squeezed his hand. “You’re a good friend, Thane. Of all the vampires I’ve met, you’re most like me. That’s probably why we get along so well. I hope you know how much your friendship means to me.”
Sasa turned and walked out of the study into the hallway before he had a chance to say anything. It was probably for the better anyway. She was another male’s girlfriend—a fellow Son’s girlfriend. That wasn’t going to change, no matter how much he wished it would.
*
Hurrying to the kitchen, Sasa struggled to push aside the doubts that lingered in her mind about the man she loved. Once again, she and Vasilije had fought over his idea to bring two of his vampires to the monastery. Not just any two but two female vampires that would help the Sons in their fight against the Archons.
The thought of this Elizabeth and Delilah under the same roof, even for just a few nights while they all figured out how they could best help, made her almost mad with jealousy. Vasilije spoke of them so easily, as if they all had a history that went back centuries, making her time with him seem so insignificant. And now he wanted to bring them into their home.
She was acting stupid. Sasa knew this. Vasilije was devoted to her. Wasn’t he?
Thane’s expression as he’d walked in to see her crying once again just a few minutes earlier bothered her. He’d known Vasilije for centuries, and she was sure he knew the two females. Was that why lat
ely he seemed to always look like he was pitying her? Did he know what they’d meant to Vasilije and felt bad for her, as if she was being cast aside and she was the only one who didn’t know yet?
Rifling through the pantry, she grabbed a can from the middle shelf as she looked for those damn dates. Every other fruit, vegetable, and food seemed to be in front of her but Terek’s dates. Not that she was paying much attention to what she was seeing on any shelf. All she could think of was Vasilije and two beautiful women in her own home.
Together. Reliving old memories. Making new ones.
The idea of him with anyone else made her stomach knot up. They were probably incredibly gorgeous, with legs that went on for miles, and perfect faces. Their hair was probably blond too. Elizabeth and Delilah, two blond hussies who could steal any man away with just a glance and a crook of a finger.
As her mind raced, Sasa gave up looking for the dates and hung her head. She hated being jealous. She heard her mother’s words about jealousy ringing in her ears. “There’s always a kernel of truth to things, Sasa. You wouldn’t be jealous if you weren’t feeling something wrong.”
Oh, Mama. How I miss you! I wish you were here so you could help me feel better, help me figure things out.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and through them she saw the can of dates she held in her hand. Shaking her head, she wondered if she was losing her mind. She couldn’t go on like this. Jealous and mistrusting wasn’t who she was.
Maybe she could ask Thane about things. Talking to him always put her at ease. He was so much like her. At first, she’d seen him as the brother she’d never had, but slowly he’d grown to be something different. Something more than a brother.
Yes, it might help to talk to him. He’d known Vasilije since the 1700s, so he’d know about the two women too. Terek might also, but something about approaching him with this didn’t sit right with her. He was much closer to Vasilije, so he’d likely tell him if Sasa started asking questions. She didn’t know exactly what the relationship between Vasilije and Thane was, but something told her he liked her better than him.
