Dark War Chronicles Box Set One (72 page)

“Forgive me.” She whispered.

She heard Zaaren walk up towards her and she took a deep breath to control herself when he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I will return your memories. I will drink from your wrist to make it less terrifying for you.”

Feeding alone terrified her, no matter the place. She nodded. “Thank you.” Though the anger still flowed through her, she knew she needed to rein it in to get her memories back and prove to Lucius she knew how to control herself.

He brother took her hand and his fangs pierced her skin. Suddenly, the pressure in her head disappeared and memories came flooding back. Her head spun at all the images and faces, the rush of names and knowledge she had lost. She saw the night she’d met Kaden and Markus had been correct on everything. Her heart warmed at finding the happy memories she made with Lucius and the others in the territory, but then the darker ones flooded her mind. Her first few years with the Father, when she used to fight him tooth and nail.

Her stomach churned at the pain and memories, the world around her spun until she fell into darkness.

Tegan passed out and Lucius caught her. He gathered her in his arms and cradled her against his chest. Even unconscious he could feel her anger towards him and her brother. “Markus did this to drive a wedge between us.”

“I have no doubt about that.” Zaaren said, standing and checking Tegan’s pulse. “Her temper has grown over the years and Kaden is her weakness. I should kill the demon—“

“She’d never forgive us. Not at this point. She feels we have stolen a chance of happiness away from her. She knows when he’s gone, he’s done mercenary work for me and the moment he leaves the territory her attitude changes. That was without her knowing who he was. We never should have taken those memories.”

Tegan groaned and her back arched. Her brow creased as if she was in pain. Lucius kissed her head and whispered comforting words to her. Even unconscious nightmares plagued her and he couldn’t stop them. He never could.

“I did what was best.” Zaaren snapped. “You keeping him around didn’t help the situation.”

“Ah yes, but had he been killed the situation would have been worse. You weren’t here, Zaaren, I had to do what was best for me, my human, and my territory.” Lucius turned around to take her to her room. “What memories of the Father did you hide from her? I wasn’t aware there were some missing.”

Zaaren followed him. “Her first few years with him, before she learned to quit fighting him. They were dark times for her, painful, torturous and when she found out what being a Blood Human truly meant— being the Father’s play thing, being owned by him, body, blood, and soul.”

Lucius growled. He’d worked so hard to get Tegan past her time with the Father and now his hard work could be undone. He’d hope her more recent memories would help her, but with their luck she’d freak out and lock herself away, physically and emotionally. He shouldered Tegan’s door open and found Kaden sitting in her chair.

The Demon rushed up to take Tegan from his arms. Lucius met his gaze and relinquished her. “Let her rest, Zaaren unlocked her memories.”

Kaden nodded and laid Tegan in the bed, pulling the covers over her. He reached to remove the blindfold.

“No, that stays for now.” Lucius stated. “She’s being punished.”

Kaden turned around. “You just put her through a meeting with Markus and released all her memories, what on earth could she need to be punished for. She’s not a child.”

“No, she’s not, which is why she is being punished.” Lucius sighed. “She can explain what happened when she wakes. She will not want to see Zaaren or I for a bit.”

Kaden snorted. “She won’t be able to see anything.”

“This is how it works around here Kaden, if you don’t like it go back to your world and leave Tegan to hers.” Lucius snapped. He would not have the demon trying to undermine him even if he let him stay to be with Tegan. If he was honest with himself he knew that Kaden would be staying now that Tegan knew the truth.

“I’d do anything to stay by her side.” Kaden whispered and kissed her cheek.

Zaaren snorted. “You know nothing about her, demon.”

“And you do? You’ve been asleep for how long? And even when you were awake, I’ve seen you in her dreams, you sheltered her, treated her like a broken woman. Lucius is the one who brought her out of that shell, turned her into the strong woman she is.”

“You know nothing.” Zaaren snarled.

Lucius stepped between the two. “Tegan needs rest. Let’s let her be.” Lucius put a hand on Zaaren’s shoulder and urged him out. Lucius looked over his shoulder. “Call for me if I am needed.”

“Of course.” Kaden settled next to the bed and took Tegan’s hand.

Lucius took a deep breath and closed the door behind him.

“I do not want him near her, I did not realize he was a dream demon.” Zaaren snarled. “He’s putting her at even more risk, what if his people believe the rumors about her?”

“I’m pretty sure all those rumors were put to rest the moment that Tegan told Markus what she was.” Lucius continued down the hall and Zaaren followed him. “I will speak with her tomorrow, but honestly I don’t think we are going to be able to keep them apart.”

“Make him leave your territory.” Zaaren stated. “You hold the power here, not him, not Tegan. She’ll forgive you over time.”

Zaaren clearly didn’t understand how much of a grudge Tegan could hold. Lucius shook his head. “I’m done talking about this. I will deal with it tomorrow. For now I need to go make sure Mae’s got closing handled for the bar tonight.” It would be a welcome distraction.

“Fine, I will be around.”

Lucius waited until Zaaren disappeared before he took himself to The Disappearing Act. Tegan would wake angry and hurt. He’d be surprised if she didn’t lash out at Kaden. Zaaren needed to learn how things had changed or he would end up pushing Tegan further away and Lucius couldn’t afford her being distant. She added to his power with her bond. This had to have been Markus’ plan, to push everyone further apart.

Chapter Eight

Tegan stood in the middle of a field and the wind swirled around her. She didn’t understand, this wasn’t a place in any of her memories. Her hair and cloak whipped around her as another gust of wind came up. She could hear someone calling her name, but she saw no one.

“Kaden?” She turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. The cloak disappeared and she found herself naked and bleeding from wounds she didn’t remember the source of. The field disappeared replaced by the marble floors of the Father’s temple. She wrapped her arms around herself to hide her breasts and looked around. Panic filled her as the old memories welled up, the ones Zaaren took from her. She could not go through this again, she would not let the Father break her again.

“Tegan?”

Kaden’s voice came to her, but it was too far away. She tried to hold on to it as chains appeared around her wrists and ankles, they dragged her to the ground and the light faded from the room. The Father stepped in front of her and her vision went dark. The blindfold kept tightening around her head.

“Tegan, think of something happy. Please come back to me.” Kaden’s voice begged.

Fangs pierced her neck and hands roamed her body and pain flooded through her veins. Happy. Something happy. She dug for the memories and the first that came to mind was laying in Kaden’s arms after they’d slept together. The way he held her when she asked him to. How she felt when he was with her. The chains faded and the presence of the Father disappeared. Her vision came back and Kaden appeared in her dream, standing in front of her.

“I’m drowning in all of this.” She whispered.

He held his arms out and she sank into his embrace. “We’ll work through it all. I promise. I will chase these nightmares away.”

If only she could believe his promises. She had to deal with her past alone.. Lucius would send Kaden away, he wouldn’t be around forever to make everything in the dark go disappear, but for now she’d let herself believe he could. “Wake me up, please.”

“You need rest.” He insisted.

Shaking her head she motioned around them, the temple of the Father surround them. “Not here. I can’t rest when I know he’s awake.”

“Tegan, we don’t know for sure.”

She took a deep breath and conjured up the memory. Ripped from Kaden’s arms her dream threw her back into the darkness, pinned to a stone ground with a vampire feeding from her. The voice belonged to the Father, the power, the feeling. “I know it was him.” She whispered and the dream started to crumble around her.

She jumped with a gasp and cursed the stupid blindfold. Darkness, always darkness, but at least now she didn’t panic. Now she remembered the last three hundred years again and the torture from Markus. Her stomach churned, she deserved this punishment more than Lucius realized. She’d betrayed what she was and had raised the Father.

Kaden took her hand. “Tegan?”

“I’m okay, sorry, it just takes me a moment to readjust to the blindfold.” She took a deep breath. “I remember now, how we met. I’m sorry I didn’t know who you were and that I haven’t sought you out in the last...” she ran a hand over her braid. “Oh gods,” she laughed and her heart ached. “Centuries. Zaaren took those memories from me, he made sure I would not know I was mated. Lucius went along with it.” But she knew she didn’t blame her master as much as her brother.

Kaden kissed her hand and his sign of affection warmed her heart. “I know, Lucius told me what happened when I sought you out again. He allowed me to stay in the territory when I became an outcast.”

He knew. Everyone but her knew. “You didn’t think to tell me in my dreams? Or reach out to me in any other way?”

“Lucius threatened to turn me in to the Demons. I’m wanted on a death warrant. I didn’t want you to suffer my death. Coming to your dreams was as close as I could go without Lucius knowing. I left flowers in your apartment once and you didn’t mention it to him.”

She remembered when she found them. It was Valentine’s Day, and she’d been working at the bar. When she’d gotten to the apartment for the night she’d found roses on her dining room table. “Something told me I shouldn’t have mentioned it to him. I listen to my instincts.” She laughed and sighed. “Mates and lovers are weaknesses. I’ve seen relationships bring down powerful vampires and weaken Luicus and Zaaren both.”

Her heart broke at the idea, what could Kaden do but provide another way to get to her? After the Circle used the demons to take her.

“I’m not going away.” He stated as if reading her mind.

Tegan nodded slightly. “I don’t want to lose you after finding you, but...if Markus knows he’s going to use you against me.” Her stomach lurched at the thought of Kaden being tortured. “You wouldn’t be able to survive his care.”

“I’m not weak, Tegan.” His sharp voice hit her hard, what she wouldn’t give to be able to see his face.

“I didn’t say you were. The first time Markus tortured me, his goal was to kill me. He’s always been threatened by Lucius and there was no easier way to take out Lucius’ human than by making it look like I was too weak to take the punishment.”

His hand cupped her cheek. “Why didn’t that work?”

“Because short of beheading me or burning me, as far as we know I can’t be killed.” She gave a bitter laugh. “It’s part of being a Blood Human, I was damned into this life by a spell. You saw it in my dreams one night.”

Silence for a moment and she tried not to panic at what he might be thinking. “I guess I never realized what the spell was for. Holy shit, Tegan.”

“It’s a power long lost, the Father fell out of favor with the gods. So did the witches that were trained for the ritual.” She pulled the blanket around herself, suddenly cold. “What you saw... that last dream, that’s what I am...was...just something for the Father to feed from and satisfy any need he had.”

“Were.” The bed dipped when he sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not leaving you, I don’t fear Markus.”

But she did and he’d already done a wonderful job at making her life a living hell. She slowly stood. She needed to thank Zaaren for returning her memories and talk to him about what he hid from her. “I should go speak to my brother.”

“I’ll—“

“Alone, he doesn’t like you and I really don’t think he’d hesitate to kill you.” She snorted. “Besides, there’s going to be a lot of screaming at each other. You don’t want to be there for that.”

Kaden chuckled. “Okay, I’ll go cook us something while you visit him. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

She nodded and counted her steps to the door, opening it and going out to the hall. She’d admitted to Kaden what she was and he wasn’t running, but she knew his feelings would change. Something would scare the demon away or they would be ripped apart. She tried to convince herself that she couldn’t afford to get attached, but she knew it was too late.

Lucius finished locking up the bar after Mae headed back to the mansion. He put his hand in his pocket to make sure the small box there was safe. Tegan’s anniversary was the next night and he refused to break tradition. With Coran’s help Lucius ordered a butterfly on the internet and made sure to have it delivered to him at the bar.

Tomorrow night, Renee had planned something at the mansion for the people Tegan called friends. Though at the time Lucius wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but now that Tegan had her memories back he felt differently. She needed familiar people and happy memories.

He froze at the sense of panic shooting through him from Tegan, something different. She wasn’t in danger, but she was in emotional pain.

Kaden. Had the demon done something stupid? Lucius closed his eyes and reminded himself that Tegan needed to handle Kaden on her own. He used a portal to take himself back to the mansion.

The moment he arrived he felt Tegan’s anger. He put the box on his nightstand and set out to find his human. It wasn’t long until he heard the voices in the great room screaming at each other. Tegan and Zaaren.

“Because you fucking left me.” She screeched. “Every damn time that I actually needed you you’ve turned your back on me. You have no say in this.”