“I detest pink,” I said, making a disgusted face. “When I get the chance I’m going to change the walls.”
“Why not do it later? You sure have the power to change things into something better. I watched you do it.” Wesley raised his eyebrows and I admit I had forgotten the small trinkets I had made out of something old.
“I didn’t think of that,” I said, shrugging. “What would I do without you?”
“Live in a pink room forever,” he teased.
My back was turned to the stairs so I did not see when Helen reached the bottom. All I felt were two arms circling me and crushing me onto a small female body.
“Thank you.” Her voice was sweet in my ear. I turned around and looked at Helen. Her face was flushed but the hole in her neck had healed brilliantly. Not even a scar remained.
“What did I do?” I asked. I flashed back to the battle, remembering the vampire pressed to her body. The electricity I had sent through him had shocked him from his attack, giving her time to kill him.
“You saved my life,” she said, hugging me tightly again.
“You’re welcome,” I said slowly, slightly confused.
“She hasn’t shut up about seeing you today,” Shawn said as he approached us. His blond hair was tucked under a baseball cap.
“I’m just glad that she’s OK. How is Rose?” I asked, wishing that Helen would let me go.
“After last night’s events, she is back to square one. I say give it a few days and she will be up and moving.” He shook Wesley’s hand. “How you feeling today?”
“I’m all right. Sorry about yesterday,” Wesley said, blushing.
“What happened yesterday?” I looked at Wesley and he glanced away.
“A few of the unknown bloodlines started to surface. We had some emotional issues.” Shawn left it at that. My interest was piqued but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get any more answers.
“That sounds frightening,” I said as Helen finally let me go.
“Just a bit,” Wesley said softly.
“Well ladies, are you ready to see what all our hard work has gone into?” Shawn asked, offering his arm to Helen. She took it with a smile and we started walking towards the back of the house.
“So they think that this is going to happen again,” Helen said, shaking her head. “You would think that they would get the hint.”
“Not all the compounds were as successful as we were,” Shawn said, opening the door and leading us outside.
The air was warm and the sun hit my face with a prickle. I shielded my eyes and looked out over the field. The makeshift carnival was still standing. I felt sad that we never had the chance to complete the day of festivities that my mother had worked so hard to put together for mine and Wesley’s birthday.
We walked towards the second structure and went inside. The place was amazingly quiet. Nobody was in the entertainment rooms and there was no sound of children playing.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, looking around doors and walls.
“We had the children sent to the other barn during the day. Your mother has started a school, if you can believe that.” Shawn shook his head.
“There were a large number of teachers in the group so she wanted to put their skills to good use. She’s been working on this for a while now. Finally got the approval,” Wesley pointed out.
“So this is long term,” I sighed.
“Very. Harrisville residents are opening their homes as well,” Shawn said.
“Well, their eyes were opened to a whole new part of the world,” I said, matter-of-factly.
“This is true. Of course, there are some discriminatory thoughts. They aren’t as keen to open their doors to the vampires in fear of being attacked,” Wesley said as we walked to the far end of the building where an elevator had been put in.
“As long as it doesn’t cause problems with the people then I don’t see a problem with it,” I said as we climbed in and Shawn hit a button on the wall panel.
“Not at all, they tend to stay in covens anyway so they weren’t as willing to move as some of the others,” Shawn said as the elevator began to move.
“Good,” I said to myself. Wesley’s hand grasped mine as we descended from the first floor.
“So many things are changing,” Helen said as she grasped my other hand.
“What do you mean?” I asked, looking at her.
“I mean the world is changing. We fight to save it while we have others fighting to destroy it. It’s going to split the world in two.” She looked dazed, her lips parted to speak again but nothing came out.
We stepped into a sanitized hallway with two double doors at the far end. The walls were still nothing more than plaster and plastic but there was potential. We were led through the doors to another hallway; rooms on both sides reached to what felt like an infinity. Each room had a bed, couch, counter and a bathroom. It was obvious they were planning additional items but had not figured out what else they wanted to do with the rooms.
“Including me, there were six doctors in the compound. Though all work is pro bono, with no insurance payments, we have offsite pharmaceutical companies chipping in to stock the shelves as well as keep Harrisville overstocked for the town’s size,” Shawn said, leading us to a nurse’s station.
“How is that possible?” I asked softly.
“I told you once that some of the largest corporations are run by either a pureblood or a hybrid. In this case, I know of two companies dealing in medicines that are run by and employ those with ‘special’ blood.” He looked at the desk area.
“You put a lot of thought to this in only a few days?” I felt woozy from all the walking.
“Not a few days. This has been an ongoing conversation that has spanned out since we started this whole thing. The school, a hospital, food, all necessities. We wanted to plan, slowly expand things a little at a time. However, the attack on the town, as well as the country, has us moving a little faster than anticipated.” Shawn motioned for us to follow him further.
“How big are the other compounds?” I asked as we walked through another set of doors.
“They range from ten to three hundred people. The compounds not only offer safety to those of mythical blood, they also offer sanctuary to the families of these individuals. Many of the fighters on the fields around the country were human,” he answered me as we came to a stop in front of a glass wall.
“The media refuses to cover the incidences as the mess is cleaned up before they even get news crews to the sites. These attacks are not happening in big cities: New York, Los Angeles, Dallas. They are all safe. Instead they are hitting the smaller towns; places where the carriers are more apt to hide and take refuge. Areas where a hybrid clan could be hiding out, trying to stay out of sight. If you ask me I say we move this compound to downtown St. Louis, cloaked in magic, and her army will be none the wiser.” Wesley had obviously put a lot of thought into his speech.
“Damn,” I heard Helen breathe.
“So why aren’t we involved with the creation of this new society?” I asked, becoming more interested in this story.
“But you are,” Shawn smiled.
“How so?”
“Think about it. You are the wardens!” He held his arms out wide and looked at Helen.
“We are the focal pieces,” I said, shrugging. “In other words, we are the front line but another government runs the underlying plans. It’s like being a token. Sure, we have gifts and powers that others don’t, but the war isn’t fought by us alone.”
“Right, it’s being fought by those that believe the queen is wrong in her thinking. We are trying to preserve the world while she is trying to destroy it,” Helen interjected, her eyes focused on everything around us.
“Don’t be fooled about the token piece. You are just as important, if not more, than any other fighter in this war.” Shawn raised his finger and poked me in the chest.
> “I don’t want the fate of the world on my shoulders. Personally I don’t think any of us want that. All we want is to make sure that everyone stays safe. The less bloodshed the better.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“And that is why we are strong.” Shawn smiled.
We stood in silence for a few moments, reflecting, and even mourning those that had passed.
Chapter Sixteen: Sweet Surrender
“Do you want to know what this is?” Shawn asked as he placed his hand on a large window.
I looked at the glass wall and stepped forward. The room had little bins on rollers with padding placed inside. I had seen these before but I couldn’t remember the last time I had actually wandered around a hospital.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A nursery,” he said, excited. “Want to know why we have a nursery?”
“Because it helps babies?” Helen asked, her voice rising and falling in a sarcastic manner.
“You are too smart for your own good.” Shawn shook his head and looked at Wesley. “We have several expectant mothers.”
“Do what?” My eyes went wide. How could they possibly think of having children when there was a war going on?
“Don’t sound so upset. You do realize most of these families are part human. They have children.” Shawn wasn’t impressed by my not-so-enthusiastic question.
“I’m not upset.” I looked down the hall. “I just don’t understand.”
“What is there to understand?” Wesley took my hand. “Don’t you want children some day?”
I saw Shawn stiffen and Helen looked in the other direction. Nobody had explained to him the fertility of the female angel. I didn’t have the heart to tell him at this moment so I just changed the subject.
“So there is a maternity ward, huh?” I looked at Shawn, my eyes pleading.
“Of course. We even have several birthing rooms,” he obliged me.
Thank you, I thought, giving him a smile.
Sooner or later you are going to have to tell him, Shawn answered me, raising half his mouth into a smile.
“How did you get all this done in such a short period of time?” Helen asked.
“It was somewhat in development before Dawn left. Otherwise lots of magic and man hours. We used the abilities of those who wanted to help. The equipment is being donated by leading laboratories and universities. It won’t be state of the art yet but it will be enough to make this work.” Shawn looked at Wesley.
“Though some compounds have clinics or small emergency care centers, we are the first to incorporate a full service hospital. If it works we will roll out plans to the other compounds,” Wesley said.
“How did you become so knowledgeable in all of this?” I asked, crossing my arms and giving him an awkward smile.
“Your father thinks that I am useful.” He straightened his back and pulled his lips together.
***
“Dawn!” I heard a voice behind me and I stopped walking.
It was after dark now. The day had gone by in a flash while we were inspecting the new hospital. I had decided that I wanted to go for a walk. I needed some time to think. Everything that I had learned today made my heart hurt. If I didn’t take the time to think about the day I was going to implode.
I turned around as Edmund jogged up the hill towards me. His long black hair was pulled back and he was wearing a black short-sleeved button-up shirt with black jeans. I looked down at my black-and-white polka-dotted dress and sighed. I had decided to wear this outfit when I got up this morning. Now I felt overdressed for a stroll.
I gave him a warm smile as he came to a stop in front of me.
“What’s going on Edmund?” I asked, feeling his power consume me. This man was so incredibly swoon worthy I had to fight to keep my composure.
“I wanted to talk to you away from everyone.” He gave me a toothy grin.
“Oh? What about?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I need to speak with her.” His eyes were glistening.
“Speak with who?” I was confused. To whom could he possibly need to talk?
“Prudence.” He gave me another smile.
“She’s dead,” I said harshly and started to turn.
“No she isn’t. She’s inside of you.” Edmund grabbed my arm roughly.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to get free.
“After our date I took some time to reflect. No woman has ever left me as mesmerized as she did. I knew I had seen her face before.” His fangs gleamed in the light.
“No shit, Edmund, she has my face.” I finally got free and glared at him.
“Damn it, Dawn, listen to me before you jump to conclusions,” Edmund yelled and I paused.
I crossed my arms.
“I had seen her face before. She wasn’t from Maine either.” He growled at me. “I must speak with her.”
“‘Her’, is me, Edmund. It was me that was on the date with you.” I tapped my foot, waiting for this to end.
“Maybe so, but there was more in your eyes than you can imagine,” he said, touching my face. A spark flew through me and I backed up.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He let out a gasp and held his hand close to his chest.
“She was someone special to me a long, long time ago,” he said softly.
“How is that even possible? I’ve only been on this earth for nineteen years damn it,” I growled.
“Do you believe in resurrection?” He put his head in his hands. “Of course you do. Krista was resurrected.”
“Off topic, Edmund,” I yelled.
“What if I told you that you didn’t bring just Krista back from the dead?” He gave me a hesitant smile.
“That is ridiculous,” I laughed.
Our spell had only been intended for Krista; how could anything else have possibly hitched a ride from Purgatory?
“Is it? Why don’t you ask your stepmother more about this priestess?” He touched my arm and gave me an apologetic nod. “When you are ready, find me. I have more to tell you.”
Will this shit stop happening already! I screamed in my head.
I turned and continued up the hill. For some reason, I wanted to see this blessed ones’ oasis one more time before I headed to bed. That was where I had seen the blonde girl before all hell broke loose.
“I had a feeling you would be coming out here tonight,” Mona said, her back turned, looking out over the field at the night sky.
“How could you possibly know this?” I asked. This day was just getting better and better. Could I please just have one normal moment to myself?
“Why are you so questioning? Good Lord, Dawn, I raised you better than to think there isn’t a reaction for every action.” She turned to look at me over her shoulder.
I glared at her.
“I assume that Edmund has already spoken to you.” She spoke casually.
“Yeah. Is it true?” I asked, thinking she was going to break out into laughter.
“Yes,” she said simply and took a few more steps towards the water.
“So Prudence just caught a ride on Krista’s soul?” I asked skeptically.
“Yes. There was nobody here for her like there was for Krista. So she rooted herself into the closest powerful being that she could.” Mona sighed.
“So you didn’t create her, you just gave her life,” I growled at her.
“She spoke to me. She’s always speaking to me.” She sighed again.
“Is she evil?” I shivered.
“Oh no, she is not evil at all.” Mona turned to me, smiling. “She is quite good.”
“Why is she in me?” I asked, pulling on my dress. “Why do I miss her?”
“Because you have something the others don’t. Isn’t it obvious?” Mona raised her arms to the sky and said some words that I couldn’t understand.
“What are you doing?” I demanded,
feeling my body shudder. My arms were shaking, I felt weak. I sat down on the grass, putting my hands to my face. “What have you done to me?”
“I’m giving the vampire his wish,” she said simply, walking towards me. “It won’t hurt, just feel like you are seeing through someone else’s eyes. Like what you did with Krista.”
“I don’t want to see someone else’s past!” I screamed.
“You don’t have a choice,” she said, putting her face close to mine.
I felt like the world was collapsing in on itself as her essence tore through me like a knife. She was calling to me, her voice sweet. She was telling me it was going to be OK. She was slowly taking me over and I didn’t know how to give in.
“You will hear all, but her soul is the one that is in control,” Mona said, a cruel smile on her lips.
“I don’t wa …” I started to say, but she was already in control so my words dropped right there.
***
“Edmund,” Mona called.
Everything was clear as day. This was nothing like being in Krista’s head.
“Did you get her?” Edmund said, coming at me through the trees.
Please tell me he knows who I am, another voice in my head said, and I felt my soul jump.
Of course not; he thinks that it’s me, I answered with disdain in my voice.
Now all of a sudden you can hear me? I’ve been talking to you for weeks but you never seemed to respond, the other voice said joyfully.
“Of course I did. Had a bit of a fight with Dawn to get her but I have her now. You have ten minutes before Dawn can take back over her body,” Mona said, walking away. “She’s going to be pissed.”
“Prudence?” Edmund asked my body. My head nodded and I felt elated. “Oh, sweet Lord.”
“You seem shocked, my love,” my voice said.
“I thought that I would never see you again.” His arms wrapped around my body. My heart started racing.
He remembers me, she thought.
You and I are going to have a talk after this, I said to her.
“I told you that I would come back to you.” I touched his face and he closed his eyes.
The Wardens Boxed Set Page 95
