Blood Solstice: Part Three in the Tale of Lunarmorte (18 page)

“
Caia, please,” Alexa implored. “We’ll come. We’ll help. The
last thing I said to my dad was that just because he wasn’t brave
enough to fight didn’t mean I wasn’t,” she choked. “How could that
be the last thing I said to him? I have to do something. Help me do
this.”

Caia
began shaking her head, her ears filling up with their
grief-stricken pleading.

“
Girls.” Reuben stood up slowly, quietening their demands.
Caia trembled at the ruthless aspect of his face.

“
What?” she whispered, her heart thudding in her
chest.

“
You’re going to do this for them, Caia – no don’t shake your
head. You’re going to do this or the safe haven I promised for the
pack and the assurance from myself that I will manipulate every
member of the pack’s trace so that Marita can’t find them will be
nil and void.”

Bastard. Is he really… that bastard!

Her chest
tightened. Her fingers curled. Her teeth sharpened. “Are you
blackmailing me?”

“
Yes. Do it and I’ll protect the pack. Don’t… and I leave them
here to rot.”

There was
no time for thought of repercussions. Caia lunged for him. Her
claws unleashed as she swiped for him. A band of restraint
enveloped her waist and she struggled and twisted in Alexa and
Jaeden’s secure hold.

“
Tut tut, Caia.” The vampyre smiled humourlessly at her. “You
need to control that temper.”

Her
tongue had gone thick with humiliated rage. It took her a moment to
speak. “I was actually beginning to trust you, you
son-of-a-bitch!”

“
I’m doing what needs to be done.” He shrugged
unapologetically. “I’ve never pretended to do anything
else.”

Remember, Caia, you can’t hurt him. Take a deep breath. Find
some zen. Control your animalistic urge to hunt and kill the wily
fox.

She let
her body relax, breathing in and out, in an effort to cool her
temper.

“
Caia, please,” Jae whispered, slowly letting go of her. “You
have to do this for us.”

“
What if I can’t?”

“
At least try,” Alexa snapped. “For the pack.”

Gradually, as the implications of Reuben’s threat settled in
along with Jae and Alexa’s beseeching, Caia began to nod. “OK,” she
croaked. “I’ll do it. Under one condition.”

Alexa
nodded. “Anything.”

“
It goes no further than this room that I was blackmailed into
this.”

Jaeden
frowned. “Why?” she glanced anxiously at Reuben.

She
thought of her mate and his reaction to her decision. There was a
huge possibility he wouldn’t speak to her ever again. Still… she
loved him… so… “Lucien already feels terrible that he wasn’t here
to protect the pack. Telling him about Reuben’s ultimatum will only
make him feel worse.”

Reuben
smirked at her. “So gallant and self-sacrificing of you,
Caia.”

“
Bite me, asshole.”

Jaeden
shook her head. “Seriously, Caia… he might not understand like we
do. He’ll be mad at you.”

“
Then he’ll be mad at me.”

With that
Jaeden hugged her tight and whispered thank you into her
ear.

***

Caia
trembled and walked away from the cremation sight, glad Jason had
cloaked the smell of her pack’s burning bodies. She didn’t think
she’d be able to cope otherwise. So deaf to the world she wasn’t
even aware of Alexa and Jaeden on either side of her until Lucien’s
hand clamped down on her shoulder opening up her senses
again.

“
Jae, Alexa, can you give us a moment. And Jae, Ryder wants a
word.”

Jaeden
grunted and walked away, her hand clasped in Alexa’s. Caia watched
them, thinking how sad it was that death had been the one to create
a friendship between the two young women.

“
Caia.” Lucien sighed, and she snuggled into his chest as his
arm slid over her shoulders, drawing her into his heat. “How are
you holding up?”

Not good. You see I have to kill seven people in a few days or
the pack will be in constant threat of attack from Marita. You want
to help me kill the blackmailer instead?

She
didn’t say that. She mumbled incoherently and tightened her grip on
him. “How are you?” She whispered.

He
dropped a soft kiss on her head and she heard the tears in his
voice as he replied, “Ask me that question later.”

They
walked in silence, holding on to one another until they came out of
the woods and rounded the house. Six cars were parked around the
driveway as well as three moving vans. A lot of stuff had to be
left or thrown away. Lucien kissed her again and moved away
unhurriedly towards one of the vans as if lumbered with a heavy
weight. Ryder pressed keys into his hand and nodded towards the
other moving vehicle. Magnus was supposed to be riding with Lucien
in one of the vans because they weren’t that
comfortable.

Caia
shook her head as if she were conversing with them. No. she would
ride with Lucien, not Magnus. Part of her bargain with Reuben was a
safe haven for the pack. Apparently a twenty-four hundred year old
vampyre tended to collect real estate. He owned a large hotel in
the middle of nowhere the next state over. It hadn’t been in
operation for ten years but he had paid a couple of magiks to clean
it up for the pack coming. They could use it for as long as they
needed (ha! As long as Caia kept to the bargain that was). The
drive was a good few hours. And it was quite possibly going to be
the last few hours that Lucien respected her. She strode towards
Magnus and him.

“
Magnus, I’ll drive with Lucien,” she said quietly.

The Elder
frowned. “No, honey, you don’t have to-”

“
I want to,” she cut him off, giving her mate a pointed
look.

He smiled
gratefully back at her. “Yeah, Magnus. You take Caia’s place in
Ella’s car.”

“
If you’re sure.” He didn’t waste time arguing. Ella’s car was
way more comfortable. He nodded and made his way over to
it.

“
Thanks.” Lucien gazed lovingly down at her.

“
Hey, Lucien.” Rose suddenly appeared around the corner of the
house and Caia’s stomach flipped. It was such an inappropriate time
to be jealous but she hated that Rose was here with them.
Apparently it was thought she’d be safer with the pack for now,
since Marita probably knew she had betrayed her. It was really nice
having her mate’s ex-lover living with them. Really
nice.

“
Caia.” She nodded at her but turned her bright smile back on
Lucien. “I thought maybe I could save Magnus a numb butt and offer
to ride with you instead.”

I hate her.

Lucien
patted her on the shoulder. “That’s nice but Caia’s already
offered.”

“
Oh you don’t have to, Caia,” Rose tried to insist.

Caia
glared at her. “No, I do.”

Rose had
the graciousness to look abashed at least. “Of course. I’ll just
ride in one of the cars.”

As soon
as she was out of ear shot Lucien sighed. “You know you don’t have
to be jealous. You can be nice to her.”

His tone was prickly.
Actually
prickly.

“
I’m not jealous,” she snapped. “And don’t talk to me like
that.”

“
I’m just saying, there’s nothing between us
anymore.”

“
Yeah, maybe for you but not for her, Lucien. Come on… the way
she looks at you-”

“
Is her problem. Not ours. So can you please get in the van?
This isn’t the time for this, Caia,” he admonished and she
immediately felt guilty.

She bit
her lip and slumped. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” She shuffled around
to the other side of the van like a scolded child. She frowned as
she caught Jaeden and Ryder out of the corner of her
eye.

“
I don’t want to!” Jae snapped and pulled out of Ryder’s grip
before loping over to the car Alexa and Mal were going to be riding
in. Ryder growled, staring after her with a look of pure
frustration. He shook his head angrily and turned, jumping up into
the rented moving van he would be driving. Caia didn’t know why
Jaeden was pushing Ryder away but if it didn’t stop soon she just
knew Ryder was going to blow a gasket. Caia sighed again and looked
around. There were only twenty three members of the pack left and
they were all organising themselves into the cars. With them were
Vil, Laila, Reuben and Rose. Jason and two other magiks Alfred had
sent stood off to the side and Caia held up her hand to them in a
grateful wave. They nodded back in acknowledgment but stood stiff
and vigilant as the pack geared themselves up to leave their
home.

15 – The
Ultimatum

Jaeden
always assumed grief would feel the same no matter who the person
was you lost. With Sebastian’s death had come a heartbreaking ache,
a bitterness for how short his life had been, and an everlasting
gratefulness that someone had loved her enough to face death in
order to save her.

Losing
her dad was completely different. She just felt… so
alone.

She could
barely breathe for the twenty stone of crushing weight she carried
on her chest every minute of the day. Her stomach churned
constantly, and it was like this thick fog she couldn’t make her
way through had descended over her. Her dad had been everything to
her. They were more alike than anyone else in the family, and they
had understood one another better than anyone else could because of
it. His presence in her life, no matter where she had been, had
offered a kind of comfort and protection she couldn’t get anywhere
else. Everything was always alright because, no matter what, she
had her dad to run to… and somehow he always made it better. And
now he was gone… she was just so alone… and terrified because
without him there was a part of her that no longer made
sense.

She
shifted uncomfortably in the backseat, her throat burning with the
agony of repressed tears. Her head already ached like a bitch from
her crying jags. Her gaze slid toward Alexa who sat in the
passenger seat next to their designated driver, Reuben. Mal and
Finlay shared the back seat with her. It was weird the person she
felt closest to at the moment was Alexa, but out of everyone in the
pack she knew Alexa had been as close to her dad as she had been to
Dimitri. And at least Jae still had her mom. Alexa had lost both
her parents. So if anyone could understand the magnitude of her
wrath it was Alexa. She glanced at Mal. He was so changed. He used
to tease and flirt constantly like life was one big joke. But he’d
lost his parents, his best friend and his on-again-off-again
girlfriend all in one fell swoop.

Now he was quiet and intensely protective of his sister and
little brother, hovering over them constantly these last few days.
But despite his grief he was just like Lucien and Ryder. They were
determined to fix the pack, given them a fresh start. Where was the
talk of vengeance? Of justice? Apparently there was to be none; in
fact Lucien had demanded it so!
The pack
had seen too much loss,
he said,
it was time to move on.
How could they move on?! Their family had been destroyed,
targeted like deer on a hunt! And was he forgetting that his own
mate was a part of the war? Caia wasn’t getting out of it any time
soon… was he just intending to abandon her?!

Thank the
gods for Caia.

Jaeden
refused to feel guilty for manipulating her into doing what Reuben
wanted. And funnily enough she was no longer mad at the vampyre.
She was glad he had blackmailed Caia. Together they had gotten her
to do something she would never have willingly done
otherwise.

And if it changes Caia beyond repair? If it destroys
her?

Jaeden
shook her head. She couldn’t think about that. She couldn’t. Caia
was a good person and asking her to do this was going to have its
consequences… but hadn’t they all sacrificed something for this
war? And it wasn’t like she was intending to leave her on her own
to do it. She and Alexa had every intention of coming with her and
giving her moral support.

Moral support for killing innocents.

Stop it. It has to be done. It’s the only way to stop
Marita.

Keep telling yourself that.

Arrggh!
Jaeden shoved the thought out of her head and turned to stare back
out at the passing scenery. She felt her pocket vibrate and shifted
up so she could slip her cell phone out of it. It was a text
message from Ryder. He was a couple of cars back from them on the
road.

Stupid
idiot, fiddling with his cell whilst driving.

We gotta talk when we get to the hotel
.

There were no
xxx
’s at the end like there would usually be. He was pissed.
Yeah, well so was she! She didn’t want him near her, comforting
her, loving her. She didn’t want to fall into that. If she felt
this bad losing her dad, she couldn’t imagine how bad it would feel
to lose Ryder. Not to mention she might not make it out of this war
and she didn’t want him to hurt any worse than he had to. Making
him hate her would make it easier on him if she did die.