Blood Solstice: Part Three in the Tale of Lunarmorte (11 page)

“
Saffron’s arrived with the children. Two of them are Joaquin
and Seana. Cera and the Trey’s are in hysterics.” She paused so
they could hear the commotion rumbling up through the floors from
the kitchen. “The other three kids aren’t ours.” Her lip trembled.
“Jaela and the others must still be at the Centre. Anyway, Vil’s
going to take the kids home one by one.”

Caia
glanced at Reuben who was frowning. He seemed ready to dispute that
decision when Caia subtly shook her head at him. She looked to Jae
who seemed to be watching them both with narrowed eyes, a quizzical
furrow in between her eyebrows.

“
That’s fine. But tell him to hand the children over and just
leave. We don’t have time for explanations and I need Vil to take
me to the Doukas’.”

“
OK.” Jae grimaced. “But isn’t that a little mean? These
people deserve to know what happened to their kids.”

Reuben
rolled his eyes. “Then pin a note on them.”

Caia
winced at his insensitivity and the volcanic look on Jaeden’s face.
Before Jae could erupt, Caia stepped in between them. “Ignoring his
charming delivery, Reuben has a point.” She sighed wearily. “I
don’t like it very much but maybe we could just return them with a
note explaining everything.”

For a
moment she wasn’t sure Jae was going to respond. And then she
snorted in disgust. “Don’t spend too much time with him, Cy. You’re
starting to think like him. And remember, if he can mesmerise me
with his little voodoo crap then who’s to say he won’t do it to
you?” With that she spun on her heel and left the room.

Hmm… she
hadn’t thought about that. Was that what Reuben was doing? Wafting
his little powers over her so she felt like she could trust him?
She slanted her gaze at him and noticed with some annoyance he was
smirking at her as if he knew exactly what she was
thinking.

“
I haven’t manipulated you. I swear.”

“
And I’ve just to trust your word on that?”

He
shrugged. “I don’t care one way or the other.”

As he
walked away in Jaeden’s wake Caia squeezed her eyes shut. She
needed Lucien back. Everything would be OK once she had Lucien
back.

***

“
It’s a good thing you called me out of there when you did,”
Vanne stated in a deeply chilling tone, his powerful energy
crackling, sparking in the air around the house. The pack was
scattered in a number of different rooms, but the Elders were
sitting in the living room watching a distraught Vanne pace back
and forth in front of the main window. Alexa stood next to a
grief-stricken Magnus pretending to give comfort, when in fact it
was clear she was merely fascinated with not only Reuben, but the
Head of the Daylight Coven’s husband.

“
I nearly killed her,” Vanne choked, coming to a stop to stare
numbly at the floorboards. “When she told me about Marion…” he
shuddered, shaking his head. Intimidating though Vanne may be Caia
couldn’t help but reach out to him in comfort. She squeezed his
shoulder lightly and he glanced down at her, his eyes terrifying
and glassy with unshed tears. “I’ve always loved her best you
know,” he whispered. “I courted her first before…”

“
Before I asked him to join me, and break it off with Marion.
To win Marita over instead so we could spy on her,” Reuben answered
for him, his voice dead. Caia glanced sharply at him, marvelling at
the hint of guilt and regret she saw in his eyes.

An ache
spread in her chest for Vanne. For him to have loved Marion whilst
he slept with her sister? To be so close to the day when he would
no longer have to pretend… and now the one person he wanted to
share that day with was gone. Like a watering pot tears splashed
over her lids and she sighed in frustration, turning her back to
the room and swiping at them angrily. She couldn’t act like a silly
little girl. She had to be strong for them all. She sucked in a
deep breath and turned to face them. “Can you do what we asked? Can
you go with Reuben to the MacLachlan’s?”

Vanne
nodded. “I’m friends with Alistair. However… it may take longer
than just a few minutes to convince them. Phoebe is well-educated
on magik. She’ll suspect I’m another magik utilising glamour to
look like me. Such an incident in fact happened at the Centre only
a few weeks ago,” he reminded them, throwing Caia a look that
managed to be utterly sardonic despite his pain-filled eyes. He was
referring to the fact that Caia had glamoured Vil to look like
Vanne in order to rescue Laila from the containment centre.
“Glamour lasts roughly 30 minutes, Phoebe knows that. So we’re
going to have to sit that time out until they’re convinced I am who
I say I am.”

“
That’s fine.” Caia shrugged. “I imagine it will take longer
to gather the family members of the Council who are willing to
fight.”

“
That reminds me,” Vanne said, tugging at something in the
back pocket of his suit trousers. A flash of white paper appeared
in his hand and he automatically handed it to Reuben. “A list of
the family members who tried to get in and were fought off by our
guards.” He sneered suddenly. “Marita told them not to use deadly
force… the idiots buy it… that holier than thou crap,” his tone
vibrated through her like an apprehensive shiver.

Knowing
what she now knew didn’t stop Caia from being disturbed by this
version of Vanne. He was a mighty good actor. Every time she had
met with him and Marita inside the Centre she could have sworn he
was a loyal husband and devout Daylight. Ignoring the impulse to
gape openly at him as if he were nuts, Caia held her hand out to
Reuben. “I’ll take that.”

He
chuckled and threw her a flirtatious look, nibbling on his lip
piercing. He took a moment before he handed the paper over.
“Getting awfully bossy aren’t we.”

Ignoring
him and the numerous frowns thrown his way by the Elders and a
disgruntled Alexa – who had so far been trying to catch his
attention (even imminent war couldn’t stop her natural predilection
for hooking up with the newest, hottest being around) – Caia
quickly scanned the list. There were quite a number of names
here.

“
This should do actually,” she murmured, knowing everyone
could hear her anyway. She looked up as Jaeden entered the room
with Vil and Laila. “Vil, you and I should go. Vanne’s provided us
with a list of names to give to Alfred Doukas’ wife. She should be
able to gather them to us pretty quickly.”

Vil
nodded but she noticed his hand tightening in Laila’s. Before she
could reassure them, Alexa stepped forward, a little pout she had
perfected years before, playing on her luscious mouth. “I wanna
help.”

Caia, as
well as everyone else, stared at her dumbstruck.

“
You… want to help?” Ella queried, quietly
disbelieving.

Alexa
narrowed her eyes. “What… like I’m useless? I can fight you know… I
have a sharper set of claws than any of the bitches in the
pack.”

Well, that I believe.
An offer of
help, however unexpected, wasn’t something she was about to turn
down. “OK… if you’re sure… Alexa, you can come with us to the
portal, you can help us fight at the Centre.”

A shadow
cast across the room as Alexa grinned excitedly at the thought.
Standing in the doorway was Morgan with Malek, Morgan’s dark eyes
burning into Caia.

“
If Alexa is going I’m going.” Malek puffed, crossing his arms
over his large chest defiantly, smirking at his older sister
immaturely.

Morgan
whipped on him with a fierce growl. “You’re not going anywhere.”
His next lip-curling comment was directed at Caia, “And neither is
my daughter. You are not Alpha here, and you do not get to decide
whether my underage children hit a battle zone for you!”

After
years of perfecting a blank expression Caia managed not to flinch
under his outrage, but inside she felt spectacularly dumb and
guilty. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Before
Alexa could mount what was clearly an oncoming – and loud –
protest, Reuben slid forward to face Morgan. Standing a few inches
taller than him, and just as broad, the vampyre made his
displeasure known in every nuance of his body language. “You don’t
speak to her with anything but respect, do you hear me?”

The older
lykan was not intimidated one bit.

“
Guys…” Caia tried to intervene, glancing helplessly to Magnus
and the Elders who merely watched in fascination.
Fricking lykans!
They
just loved the ‘show of dominance’ crap.

Morgan
sneered, his eyes wandering over the vampyre in disgust. “And who
the fuck are you to tell me how to talk to her?”

Ella
gasped at the profanity and made to stand up, but Dimitri held her
back. Caia glared at him but he merely shrugged as if to say,
‘sorry, but I wanna see what happens’.

Reuben
took another step closer to him and Malek glanced between his
father and the outsider nervously, clearly wondering if he should
step out of the way.

“
I’m just a being that could tear you a new one in two seconds
flat. But I can see I would actually have to do that to incur any
respect from you. So why don’t I remind you that Caia is your
Alpha’s mate and should be afforded the respect you’re refusing
me.”

At that,
Morgan lowered his eyes and Caia knew Reuben had gotten to him.
“You’re right.” He looked up and gave her a slight nod, his eyes
dimmed but not defeated. “I’m sorry. But I can’t have my children
in this war, Caia.”

“
I understand,” she replied softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t speak
to you about it first.”

“
Uh hello!” Alexa called, taking a step closer to Reuben with
a flirtatious shake of her hips. “I think, daddy, you’re forgetting
one thing.”

Morgan
raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her.

“
I’m eighteen. I don’t need your permission.” She smiled up at
Reuben. “I’m still in.”

“
You still live under my roof, so you will do as I
say.”

“
No-”

Sensing a
huge disagreement brewing Caia stepped forward. “Alexa, your father
is right. I don’t think you’ve thought this through. You will be
fighting to the death and fighting magiks. The closest you’ve
gotten to fighting is tussling with the pack.”

She
whirled on Caia so fast she almost gave Reuben whiplash with her
long, thick hair. “I can’t believe you of all people are trying to
stop me.”

Jaeden
growled from her position on the coffee table. “And what does that
mean?”

“
Can’t she talk for herself?” Alexa cried, gesturing towards
Caia. “Jeez, you’ve got so many champions it’s a wonder you need to
fight at all. Speaking of which…
you
had no fighting experience when
you went in after Ethan. And you let Jae take those guards on
outside.”

“
Jaeden hunted with me for months before that and has become a
proficient fight,” Reuben reminded them quietly. Jaeden began to
smile at him in thanks and then seemed to remember at the last
minute that she hated him.

“
Arggh!” Alexa spun around and glowered at her father. “Daddy,
let me do this! I am fed up of being a useless pretty ornament… uh
one, btw, who didn’t even land the pack Alpha or Rogue
Hunter!”

Wow, you
had to admire her honesty… she didn’t give a rat’s ass who knew how
shallow and ambitious she was.

“
Oh dear goddess,” a soft female voice entered from the
hallway followed by its owner, Alexa’s mother, Natalia. Alexa was
the spitting image of her mother and they could easily pass for
sisters. The only difference being that Natalia wore her thick,
dark hair cut short, and whereas Alexa’s eyes were constantly
spitting fire, there was a gentleness to Natalia’s. At the moment
that gentleness was replaced with weary indignation. “Please don’t
tell me you want to go off on this suicide mission because you
think it’s the way to gain a mate?”

Malek
snorted but Alexa merely shrugged, apparently not embarrassed that
this conversation was occurring in front of not only the Elders but
Reuben and Vanne. “It’s not just that! OK maybe I thought about it…
Caia and Jae have done pretty well for themselves and their not as
pretty as me so I have to conclude that it’s their willingness to
fight-”

“
An admirable quality but one that I don’t want my daughter to
share.” Morgan sighed.

“
But I do,” Alexa whined. “Daddy, I feel useless and stupid.
But Caia is giving us a chance to do something amazing… something
important! This is bigger than finding a mate… this will like
totally change everything.”

For a
moment they were all stunned by her sincerity. And as Caia watched
her plead with her father she decided right there and then to start
acting like a leader. This was a decision she was taking away from
him. Alexa wanted to do this. She deserved the chance to show them
all what she could do.

“
Then you’re in,” Caia said quietly and all eyes turned on
her.

Alexa’s
were bright and for the first time she threw Caia a genuine smile.
“You really mean it?”

“
I really mean it.”