Dark War Chronicles Box Set One (66 page)

She glanced over her shoulder at the mausoleum one more time before walking with Lucius. What did she sense before that sent her into that memory?

Markus walked out of the hall where he kept the humans for breeding only to come face to face with the Father. “Need one to feed?”

“No, I plan on making a special meal tonight. I sent one of your underlings to check on Tegan and Lucius. I think it is time I paid her a visit to make sure she doesn’t remember anything.”

Markus raised a brow. “I’d prefer if you didn’t send my underlings to their death before consulting me. If you want someone to sneak around, I can send Cody back to the United States, then we don’t risk the time differences or my vampires.”

“I can do what I wish, remember that, Markus.” The Father pegged him with narrow eyes. “The time difference will cause no problems, I will just make sure to transport myself back inside the building and not risk the sun exposure here. From the...phone call I just received Tegan is still weak, her and her master were found wandering a graveyard. The underling got there too late to figure out who they were visiting, but I have a feeling it was Zaaren.”

Markus thought the same thing; he’d picked up on images of a grave from Tegan’s mind and he assumed that she was the keeper of Zaaren, but the Original would never do that to his sister. It meant that Tegan would act as the blood supply to ease the blood lust of the Original when he woke. Being fed from was Tegan’s most hated act, which is why Markus had used it against her when she was with him and the demons. “I want to be the one to kill him.”

“Then maybe you should take a trip to the United States with me. I can visit Tegan and you can find Zaaren. Kill him, the underling can give you the name and location of the graveyard. If you fail we’ll have to escalate our plans.” The Father peeked into the window of the hall behind him. “Such a pathetic race.”

Markus wondered if the Father had ever actually been human, but he didn’t have the guts to ask. “We are doing well and have managed to keep things hidden from the Hunters. Cody said they had no idea of something like this.”

“I find it odd that you sound worried if that is the case.” The Father turned and looked at him. “What concerns do you have?”

“If the Originals wake, or their keepers get wind of this than they will put a stop to it all.”

The Father waved a hand and dismissed the worry. “We will take care of them. I doubt they’ll all wake at the same time, even if we kill just one, their power will be lessened.”

So they could hope. Markus, however, did not want to underestimate what the Originals were capable of. He remained silent and started out of the room, but the Father spoke again.

“Have you made headway with the demons securing their alliance?”

Markus tried not to snarl. “We are, but apparently there is a particular demon causing problems. We cannot have an alliance with Aristides unless we are sure he can control all his people.”

“What is the problem?”

“He’s allied with Lucius and that won’t bode well with us, but Aristides is taking care of it. We’ll have the secured alliance soon.” As long as the general could hold up his part of the bargain, of course Markus could go and just kill the demon. He snorted, that was more attention than he needed and he needed to make sure that the other cracks like planting traitors in Lucius’ territory took hold.

Chapter Four

Tegan looked in the mirror and straightened the black shirt. The fabric clung to her breasts and hugged her stomach and she wondered why she had such a shirt in her closet. When she’d first left the Father, she wanted nothing that would show her off. Now, it seemed that she was more comfortable with the idea of showing off her curves.

On one hand she hated the look, on the other she hoped it would turn Kaden’s head. She loved when he looked at her like he could devour her. He may not have realized he gave her that look, but she did. And it called to her. The jeans curved over her ass just right and were tucked into a pair of boots. When she put her sunglasses on she had the strangest thought that this was normal.

When a knock on the door sounded she grabbed her jacket from the bed and opened it.

Kaden’s eyes went up and down her body and heat went through her. She smiled. “You ready?”

He nodded. “Feeling better are you?” He motioned to the clothes. “Pretty sure that you didn’t go to the grave yard like this.”

No she hadn’t, because she went with Lucius. She hadn’t expected to run into anyone there, but she wanted to dress better for Kaden and maybe, just maybe if she pretended everything was alright it would be.  “I’m trying.” Her smile faded a bit and he held his hand out.

“Is it okay if we use a demon portal? It’s harder to trace us and it means I don’t have to drive in the snow.”

“It’s snowing? It wasn’t when we went out earlier.”

Kaden shrugged. “It’s how the weather works here.”

She wanted to see the snowfall, but it could wait. Nerves flitted through her, this would be the first time her and Kaden would be alone without the risk of Lucius checking in on them or someone else from the territory. She was looking forward to this and hoped the ever-present tension she felt in Kaden would ease some. “A demon portal is fine.”

He smiled and with a strange word and wave of his hand a swirling portal appeared. He held his hand out to her. “Come on.”

She took his hand and he pulled her through the portal. The world shifted and swirled before going dark. Then it reshaped around them and she found herself standing in a bar. Only security lights bathed the large room, a pool table sat in the corner near the front door with enough room for people to play, and it matched the wood walls on the right side. The left sidewall was covered by tiled mirrors with cracks, distorting any images they reflected. Tables dotted the rest of the floor area, a jukebox sat against the wall near the bar, and stools lined the bar itself.

Tegan stepped up and examined the dark oak bar taking up the far wall with a section that would swing out to allow the bartenders to move in and out. Behind the bar was the back door, the fake barrels set up for the beer on tap and a sign that was currently not illuminated. A strange almost abstract hat with lines that formed the ears of a rabbit and a wand hovering above it, made her tilt her head.

It felt so familiar to her. The cursive lettering held the name of her bar “The Disappearing Act.” An overwhelming sense of grief hit her and she wanted to cry, something she couldn’t explain.

“Lucius told me that you spent almost every night running the bar here.” Kaden’s voice was soft and near her, like he was too afraid to let her go far on her own. “You wanted something of your own so bad, and this is what Lucius negotiated for you. He comes and checks in and supervises some of the closings, especially when there are new employees, but it is all yours.”

She ran her hand over the bar and licked her lips, imagining what it was like to be on the other side, serving drinks and helping customers. “I...I kept my sword behind the bar.” Which was ridiculous, because she didn’t know how to use one...did she? Pain laced through her head and she put a hand on it. “Very rarely would people get out of hand.”

“You’re remembering.” Kaden’s voice remained light. “That’s good. Anything else?”

Tegan took a deep breath. “I remember when we bought it. I picked the location specifically because there was a studio apartment above it. In the end I convinced him to let me have it. He gave it to me as a gift, surprising me after saying no for a while.” She closed her eyes and she remembered Lucius guiding her into the apartment, having it all furnished and ready for her. With rules, of course, but it was hers.

“Do you want to see it?” Kaden asked, “I’m sure it holds more of your own things, things that could be attached to memories.”

Despite the pounding pain in her head, she nodded. If this was the only way she could remember things then she wanted to. Kaden led her to the storeroom, a door to the right of the bar with a sign reading employees only. There had been a similar door on the right and she knew that it lead to a small kitchen so they could provide snacks for the patrons who were drinking.

Kaden opened another door that led to a set of stairs going up. She took a deep breath as she went up and came to the door of her apartment. Kaden handed her a key. “I’m right here.” He promised.

She slid the key into the lock and turned it. With a steadying breath she opened the door and walked in. Kaden followed her. The main area had tan colored carpet, to the right was a small tiled kitchen area and to the left was the living area with a closed off bathroom. She walked in and saw the bed made as if waiting for her. The black and red sheets and comforters made her smile, something about the place screamed home. Books were piled around the bed, a TV mounted to the wall so she could lay there and watch, but the thing that caught her attention was the glass display cases lining the walls.

Each held four shelves filled with butterflies. She frowned and walked over to study them. There were so many, but why? Lucius. He’d started giving her butterflies when she kept getting caught sneaking outside during the day to see them. Her brother and Lucius would be furious at her, because it put her in danger while they were in the Circle’s territory. It was for a butterfly trinket she’d went to the market place, because Zaaren told Lucius not to buy it while they had all gone together.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked over them all, the date of her rescue from the Father was always marked by Lucius giving her one of these. The anniversary would be...within the next couple days if she remembered right. Just around winter solstice.

“Tegan?” Kaden tried to catch her attention. “What are all these?”

Could she tell him? She couldn’t tear her eyes away from them. “Lucius gives me one every year to mark the date that he saved me from the Father. Like a birthday gift...just a little more depressing.” Of course no one really knew how old she was, she doubted even Zaaren remembered at this point.

“Why butterflies?” Kaden took her hand and led her to the bed so they could sit down. “I just want to get to know you better. Your past is so closed up, it’s rare for you to even speak this much about it.”

For someone who claimed to be her mate, he didn’t know much about her, but she wanted him to know. There was something about him though, something that calmed her, soothed her, not just in the dream world, but the waking one as well. She wanted to be open with him because of that. “When Zaaren and Lucius found us a home that was outside of the village, there was this field that had the milkweed flowers that butterflies tend to feed from. At dawn and dusk they would come out to feed, there would be hundreds of them.”

She smiled at the memory. She’d sit in the warmth of the sun and watch them. “I would sneak out to see them, they fascinated me. One night I was caught sneaking back in. It happened several times after, and I never had my eyes covered. Lucius and Zaaren would always scold me for it, because if a member of the Circle saw me without my eyes covered or caught me without Lucius by my side, I could be punished.”

“Markus used those terms when you were at the marketplace, you went there for a butterfly.”

So he had seen that dream. “Zaaren was treating me like a child, as he often did. He told Lucius not to buy it because he was only encouraging me to sneak out.” She cringed. “The last time I saw my brother he was scolding me about not caring what happened to me or Lucius. For being selfish for wanting such a luxury as basking in the sun and watching insects.”

“So you snuck out to piss him off.”

She laughed. “I snuck out to get the trinket that Lucius would have bought as a gift for me anyways.” She shrugged. “It’s in the past now.” Yet...she felt like she was reliving it.

Kaden wrapped an arm around her. “I know this is hard, but I feel like the key to gaining your memories might be searching in the past.”

She hated the idea, but he was probably right. “I don’t want to revisit the past.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t go back to that, to what I was, I...I just can’t.”

“The memories can’t hurt you.” Kaden whispered and stroked her hair.

How she wished that was true. She took a deep breath and tried to savor this moment. He smelled like the forest and soap. His body was warm against hers as he ran his fingers through her hair, calming her. He was right, memories couldn’t hurt her. If she could focus on this moment, the way he felt while holding her, the way he calmed her, if she could just stay in this moment everything would be fine. A strange urge overcame her and she tilted her head up and kissed him.

He froze against her, but then his lips parted. They explored each other’s mouths and his hand smoothed up her back. She loved his touch, this was how they should be. The more they kissed the more calm she felt with him. She wanted this, wanted him. She moved to straddle his lap and threaded her hands through his hair. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her jaw and to her neck, giving a gentle nip at her pulse.

Instantly the panic set in and she pushed herself away, falling on the floor and scooting away from him. It took her a few deep breaths to remember he wasn’t a vampire. He wasn’t going to hurt her.

“Kaden...I’m—“

He knelt in front of her, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed. What’s wrong? What did I do to make you panic?”

She pushed her sunglasses on the top of her head and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t like being bitten.” She wasn’t going to elaborate, not right now, not when the panic was under the surface. She cursed and leaned back on her hands. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you.” Of course they probably shouldn’t have been kissing.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time, if there is a next time.” He chuckled.

She cringed. “Don’t tell Lucius, I don’t want him to get upset.” Or send Kaden away. That would break her heart. She frowned at the thought, but stood up.

“I have an idea, I think it might help you.” Kaden jumped to his feet. “Ready to go home?”

She gave him a suspicious look, but nodded. The demon grinned and summoned the portal, pulling her through it with him.