by Ivy Asher
“Come on Parker, fight, I’m here, and I’ll get you out like I promised, but you have to help me!” The wound in his neck is closing, but Parker is still limp and not moving. I jump up to defend against two more lamia coming at me from behind. Where are they still coming from? I look around and see Kallan make it to the driver’s door of a black Suburban. The engine turns over, and I continue to cut away at attacking lamia.
Nash grabs Talon’s body from the ash-covered ground and throws him over his shoulder. A lamia jumps toward them and rakes his claws over Talon’s side before Enoch lights the attacker on fire. Talon yells in pain and Nash hurriedly pushes him into the open back of the SUV. I call on the runes on my arms for extra power and pick up Parker carrying him toward the car.
Enoch meets me halfway and steals Parker from my shoulders. I cover both of them as Enoch makes it to the car and gets Parker in. Nash dives into the passenger seat quickly followed by Enoch jumping into the back. Enoch leans out of the still-open door and lights the remaining Suburban’s on fire, before slamming the car door and sealing himself inside. I kill two more lamia before jumping into the very back with Talon and pulling the door down. Kallan peels out, no instruction or encouragement needed and we speed maniacally down the dirt road.
I watch the other cars burning bright against the night, bodies turning to ash in our wake. The few remaining lamia step out of the shadows and eerily watch us drive away. I catch sight of a large blond lamia making his way towards the transfixed survivors; Sorik. A weak grip on my arm drags my attention away from the scene, and I look down to find Talon’s hazel eyes staring back into mine.
40
Panicked shouts and yelled instructions bounce around the front of the SUV, but I tune it all out and stare at Talon’s conscious face.
“Little Warrior," Talon whispers to me, reaching a feeble hand toward my face.
I place my palm on the outside of his hand and holding it to my cheek.
“What did they do to you?” I ask absently, taking in how battered and broken he looks.
“Nothing I wouldn’t have endured a thousand times to keep them away from you.”
Talon coughs a wet cough and groans. I try to comfort him with useless words frustrated that I can’t do anything to ease his obvious pain. Talon offers me a weak smile, and I see bloody gaps where his fangs must have been pulled out. The truth of what he is squeezes my heart.
“Talon, you’re lamia.”
My voice is an accusation, question, and broken heart all woven together as it leaves my lips. I stroke a shaking hand over the hollows of his cheeks and he closes his eyes at the contact.
“I am, Little Warrior.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I’m not sure if I’m asking him why he didn’t tell me about him, or why he didn’t tell me about me? He obviously knew what I was, but how? None of this makes any sense. Talon’s body is wracked with coughs, and I stare helplessly until they subside. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth, and alarm bells sound in my head.
“Talon you’re a fucking vampire; aren’t you supposed to heal superfast?” I ask with a panic-laced voice.
“Faron was dosing me with shifter blood. It keeps lamia from healing.”
“Can I give you some of my blood? Will that help?”
“I’m sorry, Little Warrior. I’m past the point of hope. The shifter toxin makes it impossible to regenerate, and I’m too wounded. I can feel myself shutting down.”
Talon’s voice is a dry, brittle whisper and the sound of it and his words, cement what my mind has been screaming at me. Talon is dying. His head sways uncontrolled as we make our way down the bumpy dirt road. I hold his hand in mine and lean closer to him.
“Talon, what the fuck is going on?”
He tries to laugh, but it’s sucked into wet coughs. I try to soothe him with promises of hold on. We’re going to get help. You’re going to be okay. But I feel the lies on my tongue as the words leave my mouth.
“Vinna, I was twenty-three when I was turned into a lamia. In the beginning, I felt like the god they told me I was, and I gloried in everything that made us what we are. I gained the trust and confidence of my sire and was entrusted with his biggest secret. A female he held captive. She had special markings that gave her immense power and abilities.”
I gasp in understanding and stare at him with laser focus not wanting to miss a single word from his mouth.
“I was assigned as her guard, while my sire set about accomplishing his goal. You see, I was told that this female, with her great power and amazing abilities, could bestow those abilities and that power on another being if she willed it. My sire was intent on becoming that being, and he was trying everything he could, to force or coax this female into giving him what he wanted.”
My stomach roils with the thought of what this evil fucking lamia was trying to accomplish. Talon groans and I realize that I’ve unknowingly tightened my grip on his hand. I loosen it immediately and try to soothe any injury with my other hand.
“After some time, and repeated failures, my sire changed his plan. He decided that this Sentinel’s hate for our kind, was too embedded in her, and because of that, success was impossible. So, he decided to breed her. With the intent on taking the offspring and raising it amongst the lamia, where he was certain he would be granted the power he sought.”
“We began taking male casters, but a binding and transference still never occurred. Until a coven of paladin attacked the nest. We took serious casualties, but in the end, we prevailed, and the paladin survivors were locked up with the Sentinel so Adriel could decide how he wanted to end them. Surprising to all, the Sentinel’s magic called to one of the prisoners. She marked him and bonded with him. Bestowing on him the gift that my sire had spent hundreds of years trying to take from her.
“Adriel was enraged, and the only thing that calmed him was that in their binding and transference, the Sentinel conceived, and my sire’s new plan was finally coming to fruition.”
I stare at Talon’s now closed eyes, completely dumbfounded. Am I really the result of some fucked up lamia breeding program? I look away from him, my focus unseeing in the dark night shrouding the car. The atmosphere is silent and still, and I notice that we’re driving on smooth pavement instead of the bumpy road we were on earlier.
Talon begins to cough again, and the episode seems to last longer and take more of a toll on his already failing body. I use my hands to wipe the blood from his mouth and side where he was clawed. I add his blood to mine and the blood of lamia I killed, as I swipe my hands down my stained and blood-soaked clothes.
“Before I was assigned the task of guarding your mother, I was a good soldier. A stalwart defender of my sire and all that he wanted. But after guarding Grier for hundreds of years, an unexpected fondness formed. She was strength incarnate, and it was impossible not to respect and admire her with time.
“When she found your father, and you were on the way, I began struggling to stomach the ramblings of Adriel and the plans he had for you. Grier and Vaughn, as well as the other prisoners, made plans to escape, and instead of reporting it like the good soldier I had always been, I found myself rooting for them.
“As you grew in her womb, their desperation to get away became palpable, and one day an opportunity presented itself. Another nest attacked us, and in the pandemonium that ensued, I was able to assist Grier, Vaughn, and the paladin in escaping. I was leading them out when lamia from the other nest made their way to us.
“It was decided that the paladin would stay and fight, making it possible for Grier to escape with you. Grier fought to stay with them, but the centuries of torture and being a prisoner weakened her, and I was able to force her away.”
Talon wipes at my wet cheeks, and I realize that I’m crying.
“She wanted to stay with you. You were everything she was living for. But the birth took its toll, and her body was so tired from the years of fighting. She held you for as long as
her body would let her. She named you and placed you in my arms for safe keeping, and I swore a blood oath that I would keep you safe and protected as I watched her die.”
Blood leaks from Talon’s eyes and I wipe it away hurriedly, trying to soothe him.
“I failed you Vinna. Adriel survived the attack, and I was being called back to him. I found a blood-slave and did my best to glamor her to care for you. I checked in on you from time to time, when it was safe, but by the time I realized what Beth was doing, you were too old for me to take.”
“You would have been put at more risk, and so I left you with her. I tried to force Beth to care for you better, to stop hurting you, but she had grown less susceptible to my glamor after years of exposure. When I tracked you down after she had kicked you out, it was the opportunity I needed to care for you properly. I’m so sorry it took so long Little Warrior.”
Talon’s sobs morph into bone-breaking coughs. I try to soothe him but we both know it’s useless and I can barely contain the sobs spasming from my own chest. A noise draws my attention, and I look up to find several black SUVs surround us. I shout out a warning to the others and begin to call on my magic, preparing for an attack.
“Vinna they’re with us. They’re protecting us while we’re outside the boundaries.”
My adrenaline and energy suddenly plummet, and I collapse back down next to Talon, relieved that someone else is watching our back.
“We’re almost there, Talon, just hang on a little longer.”
Talon opens his eyes at my pleading tone and gives me a weak, blood-tinged smile.
“Faron must have suspected something. I was always so careful, but I must have fucked up somehow because he showed up unannounced in my territory. As soon as I was made aware that he was there, I knew it was only a matter of time before he found you.” Talon’s eyes close, and his face goes slack for the briefest of moments before he resumes talking. “I arranged it so that your uncle could find you. I needed him to take you before Faron could.”
I reel at this admission, shock and anger boiling within me.
“Talon if you knew where my uncle was this whole time, why didn’t you give me to him in the beginning?”
Talon flinches at my anger.
“It wasn’t safe. Adriel would have looked for you there first, and there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t get you. I almost sent you to your uncle when I found you at fifteen. But your Sentinel runes showed up a couple of weeks later, and I knew I could train you and prepare you better than the casters or paladin could. They wouldn’t have even known what you are.”
Talon’s breathing starts to change, a rattle sounding where there was once smooth air working in and out. I pull him against me, knowing time is running out.
“Oh, Talon. You always were a sucker for a damsel in distress,” I whisper, and he gives me a bloody smile and closes his eyes. “Thank you, Talon. Thank you for protecting my mother, thank you for protecting me.” My words crack and splinter, as tears stream down my face and sobs break up the smooth cadence of my whispered gratitude. “You didn’t fail me. I’m here because of you and your beautiful, giving heart. I’m everything because of what you did.”
Talon’s hand flaps up into the air, and I grab it, bringing it to my face.
“I luuhhhvvv yew, Lidl Wariorrrrrr," Talon slurs and I feel the muscles in his arm begin to slacken.
“I love you, Talon," I sob, pulling him into my lap so I can cradle him. “Please don’t go. Please Talon, please stay with me. I’m so alone. If you go what will I do without you?”
His breathing hitches and I feel his body relaxing in my arms. I’m crying and begging, for what I know is inevitable not to happen. Talon’s lips move, but no sound comes out. I bring my ear down to his mouth.
“Ahllwayyys hrrrrr," caresses my face, in the barest whisper, as the last of Talon’s breath leaves his body, and he grows still in my arms.
I drop my face into the crook of his neck and shoulder, and I cry. Loss and grief are all I am, and all I know in this moment. Tears form a river from my eyes down Talon’s shoulder, and I rock, holding him until his body turns to ash in my arms. I lay down on my side. Knees to my chest, and become as small as possible. I stare at the remnants of what used to be Talon and find myself wishing I could crumble into nothing right alongside him.
41
I feel the tickle of magic against my skin as we cross back into the boundaries of Solace. I don’t know how long we’ve been gone, but it’s been enough time for my world to implode completely. That seems to be a running theme for me these days, world implosion. I can’t seem to go more than a handful of days without something or someone ripping me or everything I know apart, and too often both happen simultaneously. I’ve been soldiering through, making the best of what I’ve been dealt, but this, all of it, it’s too much. I’ve reached my limit of shit I can deal with.
I feel us turn off from whatever road we’ve been driving down for a while now. I’m not sure where we’re going, and I can’t be bothered to sit up and see for myself. Kallan and Nash were trying to fill the heavy silence in the car, but they’ve long since stopped. Now we all sit quietly, trapped in our own thoughts and memories, exhausted, drained, and processing. Another tingle of magic brushes over me, but this one speaks to me in a way the others didn’t. I would know the feel of it anywhere.
“Why here?” I ask my voice dry and raw. It’s the first time I’ve spoken since Talon died, and I’m not sure if anyone even heard me or will answer.
“It was the closest secured property between where we were coming from, and where everyone’s covens are located," Enoch answers me.
I offhandedly wonder how he knows this. Maybe it’s some kind of protocol, to meet in the middle when required. We come to a stop, and I blanch; I’m not ready for what comes next. I’m not ready to soldier on and make the best of things. My armor is damaged, weak, and I can’t go into battle that way. I can’t win a fight when I have nothing left inside to fight with.
I hear shouts and people scrambling towards our car. None of us move, I must not be the only one trying to fortify my defenses. Doors are wrenched open, and the chaos outside comes swirling in to find us. I hear relieved shouts and questions shooting rapid-fire at no one and everyone at the same time.
“Where is she?”
The question bellows over it all, smothering the less significant noises in its demanding wake. I don’t know who is asking, but I know they are coming for me. I am still nestled undisturbed in my world of loss and pain, laying in the back, but I know my solitude is coming to an end. The back door rises up, exposing me to the world and blocking the stars above me.
“By the moon!” someone gasps, and I can only assume what a shock I am to the senses. A broken girl, curled fetal in the corner, covered in blood and ash staring dry-eyed at the pile that used to be her friend, her guardian. I feel the weight of the car shift, and I know someone is crawling in towards me.
“Don’t touch him, please," I tell them flatly no modulation to my words.
“Vinna can you move, are you hurt?”
“I can move, I just need to take him with me," I tell whoever is listening.
I’m going to spread Talon’s ashes with Laiken’s. I know the perfect place. I hadn’t thought about the flower-dotted clearing overlooking the lake since stumbling upon it weeks ago, but the pile of ashes in front of me called up the memory, and now I know what I want to do.
“Why is she covered in blood?” someone asks.
“She was closer to her kills than we were," a solemn voice answers.
Footsteps run toward the back of the car and several things are handed to whoever is in here with me. I see a small handheld broom and dustpan move into my line of sight and I reach for them.
“I’ll do it.”
I silently and robotically sweep up everything that I can of Talon and place it in a clear bag. I seal it off and breathe a relieved sigh now that Talon is safe and secure. I look over for
the first time at whoever is next to me and find Lachlan’s sad eyes taking me in.
“I know what happened to them, how I got here," I tell him hollowly.
“That doesn’t matter right now. Are you hurt?”
I stare at Lachlan, confused by his dismissal. How can he say this doesn’t matter? It’s all that matters to him, finding answers, finding his brother.
Lachlan reaches for me, and I flinch.
“Enough! You fuckers are the reason she was out there unprotected. Back off and let us in.” I watch Bastien push his way to me, my Chosen all close behind him.
He reaches for me, and I don’t even hesitate as I wrap my arms around him. He cradles my body against his chest, and I feel the others’ hands on me telling me they’re here, that I’m not alone. I bury my face into Bastien’s neck and simply breathe him in as he carries me from the car into the house.
“Where are you going? We have questions!” an unfamiliar voice behind us demands.
“They can wait!”
I hear Sabin answer, his tone brooking no argument. I hear their shuffled footsteps around me as we make our way upstairs. Bastien angles us into the bathroom, and I hear the water in the shower turn on. Bastien sets me on my feet but keeps a steady hold on me. Sabin gently takes Talon from my hands and places him with Laiken on her shelf.
Knox begins to peel away the blood-soaked clothes from my body. Valen’s hands hold me from behind to keep me from crumbling, and Bastien quickly strips out of his clothes. When he’s done, he lifts me back up, and we step under the warm spray of the shower. Valen joins us, and Bastien sets me down between them. The water runs down me, slowly fading from red to pink. When it finally runs clear, I feel Valen’s hands in my hair and smell the familiar honeysuckle scent of my favorite shampoo. He washes and conditions my hair, while Bastien carefully scrubs away all the evidence of this horrible night. When I’m all rinsed off the water stops, and I’m lifted and carried out of the shower.
