Mark of Betrayal (54 page)

He looked so sassy and so boyish, leaning against the tree in a pinstripe jersey and a blue Yankees cap. I didn't know he was a Yankees fan.

“
What surprises you more?” he said, holding his shirt out from his chest a little. “That I'm alive, or that I'm a Yankees fan?”

My shaking hand rose slowly to cover to my lips. “What are you…how are you…?”

“
Whoa.” He rushed in, scooping me into his arms before my buckling knees sent me to the ground. “It’s okay. It’s all right.”

“
No.” I cried into his collar, cupping my hand around his neck, running my thumb over his hair at the back just to see if he was real. “You’re dead. I watched you die.”

He squeezed me a little tighter. “I know. I'm sorry you had to see that.”

“
But…I…” He smelled so normal, like a human; no orange chocolate, just powdery fabric softener and a light hint of some spicy cologne, and it was the most darling scent in the world. My human version of David. “What are you doing here?”

“
Well,” he said, his voice vibrating through his throat against my brow. “I got a very heartbreaking call from a strange number.”

I sobbed a little harder.

He laughed and continued. “And, I mean, what could I say to that? I shouldn’t be here, and quite frankly, my uncle will probably give me a beating for this.” He half laughed. “But I needed to be with you. That phone call just cemented it.”

I rolled my face upward to look into his radiant, shining green eyes. “I thought I’d get voicemail.”

“
I know. I heard, and I also heard the pain in your soul through only the whisper of your voice.” His eyes seemed distant then, like he was remembering something—something that hurt really badly. “I know my being here stuffs up everyone’s plans, but I couldn't leave you alone any longer.”

“
Where have you been? What…how are you alive?”

He smiled—his secret smile. “I was never dead, Ara. I had to fake my death so Drake couldn’t order me to hurt you again. Now that you’re queen, only you can do that, and even then…” He shook his head, smiling down at me.

“
So…but, the venom?” I looked at his chest, where the syringe had gone in.

“
Created
venom.” He smirked.

My world rocked back—everything going blurry and ultimately still. “Holy crap!”

He laughed. “Damn needle broke off in my chest, too.”

“
Really?”

“
Yeah.” He tapped it. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get that thing out by myself?”

“
Were you…” I pictured the way he was laying; the way breath left his body and he stilled, as though he had no life left, and the way I said goodbye, accused him of being the worst kind of monster. In fact, I'm pretty sure I may have even condemned him to Hell. But it was all kind of fuzzy. “Could you hear what was said once you…fainted?”

He grabbed my hand and held it softly. “It’s okay, Ara. I tortured you, beat you, made you cry—” His voice quivered. “Anything you said or did to me after that was fair.”

I shook my head. “No, it wasn't. You helped me. You…you saved me from so much worse.”

He stroked my chin with his thumb. “It’s all over now, sweet girl. Nothing like that will ever happen to you again.”

I nodded, cupping my hand over his against my cheek. “Does Arthur know you’re alive?”

“
Yes.”

My mouth fell open, dry, my lips numb.

“
He couldn’t tell you, Ara.”

“
Why?”

“
A few reasons.”

“
Like?”

“
Well, for one…” He let out a breath. “I've not even shown you a quarter of the things I'm capable of. Drake knows many of my powers, many of which could have, all this time, helped him get to you. If I was alive, he would’ve compelled me to grab you.” He looked over his shoulder, motioning to the field. “Look how easy it was for me to get in here. No one has a clue. I could’ve come here many times, and no one would’ve known.”

“
Did you? Come here, I mean.” I wiped my nose with the back of my wrist.

Jason shook his head. “No, sweet girl. I wanted to, but that would, and I guess
has
, ruined Arthur’s diabolical plan.”

“
He has a plan?”

“
He always has a plan.”

“
Well, what is it?”

“
Has he asked you to have a child with him yet?”

“
Um…” I blinked a few extra times. “Yes. Why?”

He laughed, shaking his head, and wandered over to our tree. “How did you react to
that
?”

“
How did you know he was going to ask?”

“
Because that’s one of the reasons he’s here.” He slid down the bark and sat in the long grass, still kind of laughing.

“
To have a baby with me?”

“
Yep.”

“
Is that just because he wants to be free—you know, ‘cause he wants the prophecy to happen?”

“
That’s one of my conclusions, but…I suppose he never told you he was sent here by Drake, did he?”

“
No. He left
that
bit out.”

“
Gee, I wonder why.”

“
Are you serious? Was he really sent here on a mission to impregnate me?”

Jason laughed. “For one, yes. But also to find something.”

“
What?”

“
The Dagger of Yahanna.”

“
Death? Yahanna means death, in the ancient language, right?”

“
Right. You’ve been studying.”

“
No.” I sat down beside him. “I just know a few words.”

“
Well, yes, he’s after this dagger—forged from the bone of an original and spelled on the Stone of Truth.”

“
What does Drake want it for?”

“
It’s the only way to kill your child.”

“
What?”

“
If he kills this child created of two immortals, all the power the child is born with will negotiate to him.”

“
And, so, he asked Arthur to father this child, then hand it
and
the dagger over so he could kill it?”

Jason nodded, grinning.

“
Arthur would never do that!”

“
I know.”

“
Then…why did he ask me to have a baby with him?”

“
My only conclusion is that he wants to see if this myth that a child can set vampires free of immortality is true—or he wants to be king by right of heir.”

“
By right of heir?”

“
Yes, your first husband is always the only true king that can rule in your absence, unless he fails to provide an heir. In that case, the father of your child would become rightful king.”

“
I didn't know that.”

“
I know.”

“
So…what if he had a baby with me, but then that child died?”

“
Then he would no longer be king.”

“
Wow. So, how is your presence here ruining Arthur’s plan to impregnate me?”

“
Because, if I was alive, you would never give yourself to him.”

“
Er!” My lip curled. “And you just…you were just going to allow that?”

“
God, no.” He sat back, straightening his shirt. “Of course not. I knew you wouldn’t do it with him.”

“
You did?”

“
Of course, Ara. I know you. There's no way you’d have sex with Arthur, even if David were actually dead.”

“
Huh?”

“
What’s huh?”

“
What did you just say about David?”

“
Ara, come on—you don't seriously expect me to believe he actually died, do you?”

“
Wait, so…you know about immunity?”

“
Of course. Why do you think I let you bite him?”

I covered my mouth. “I thought you were ordered to do that.”

“
Ordered. Not compelled.”

“
So, you would never have killed him?”

He rose to his knees right before me, taking my cheeks in his hands. “No.”

“
But…I thought you hated him.”

“
Not enough to kill him, Ara.”

“
Oh.” I looked down, feeling pretty bad about that assumption. “So, how did you figure out the immunity thing?”

“
I didn't. It was you.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “You, with that beautiful mind of yours.” He kissed it again. “You tried to keep the thought from me, about you and David having shared blood and bitten each other, but I saw it, and it was all I needed.”

“
Oh, my God. I can't believe you saw that thought.”

“
Yes.” He smirked. “That could have been very dangerous information for me to have.”

As everything that happened down in that cell flooded back through me, I stared blankly at the day. “So, was it you who told Arthur about immunity?”

“
No. Does he know?”

“
Yes. He said I slipped up. But I didn't,” I said, sitting taller, shaking my head. “I went through it, I really didn't. I swear.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Does he know about David, then?”

“
I was going to ask you the same thing.”

“
I’ve not heard any thoughts. But then, I haven't seen him for some weeks, either.”

“
Why?”

“
I’ve been out of the country.”

“
Why?”

“
Needed to get away.”

“
From what?”

“
From the temptation to come back here to you.” He smiled. “You do realise I'm destroying David and Morgaine’s little conspiracy right now as well.”

“
Their what?”

“
Conspiracy,” he said, as if it was yesterday’s news. “They know about the dagger, and for some reason, haven't told you.”

“
How do they know about it?”

“
I stole a page from a book Arthur was reading and posted it to David, signed by ‘anonymous’.”

“
So, what, you think they’re looking for the dagger, too?”

“
I’d bet my life on it.” He folded his arms, looking a little smug.

“
Does Mike know about it?”

“
Nope.”

“
How do you know he doesn't know?”

“
Because Arthur hasn’t been taken for torture and questioning yet.” He laughed. “If Mike knew there was a dagger Drake planned to use on your child, what do you think he’d do to Arthur?”

I nodded, pushing my tongue into my cheek. “Good point. So, it’s just David and Morg then?”

“
Far as I know.”

“
Not Emily?”

He shook his head.

Good. At least I still had
one
friend who was on my side.

“
Uh.” Jason cleared his throat, holding up two fingers and a cute grin.

“
Did you just read my mind?”

He shrugged. “A little.”

“
Don't do that. Figure me out some other way. Stay out of my head.”

“
Fine. Easy. I can figure you out by watching your face.” He sat back, smiling. “What I can't figure out is why Morg and David are sticking to this prophecy child thing.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
You haven't caught on?”

I scratched my nose. “I didn't know there was anything to catch.”

“
No, of course you didn't, sweet girl, because you trust David too much for your own good.”

“
What’s that supposed to mean?”

“
I mean, think about it. If the whole point of David being dead is to stop Drake coming after you, because the prophecy child must be conceived only with a firstborn son of Knight, then why do they think it’s okay for Arthur to be here, and not David?”

“
I…”

“
Exactly,” he said. “David could return, and there is still the same chance of Drake attacking as there is without David. I don't know why he’s pretending to be dead still?”

“
I…I don't know. Maybe so he can follow Arthur—perhaps Arthur will lead him to the dagger.”

“
But David isn’t following Arthur.” Jason ushered around the grounds. “So, what are they up to?”

“
I know he’s sneaking around Elysium and giving us info on Drake’s whereabouts.”

Jason shook his head again, the smug grin growing. “Nope. Wrong again. Mike has a vampire informant—one who lives at Elysium.”

“
He does?”

“
Uh-hu.”

“
Then…why’s David putting me through this—making me live without him?”

“
I'm not sure. But, whatever it is, it must be pretty serious to be keeping him from you.”

I slumped back, running everything over in my head. “So, Drake wanted to kill me because of some prophecy child that could kill him, but now, all of a sudden, it’s that he wants me to have this child so he can steal its powers?”

“
That’s the latest.”

I thought about that for a second. “That doesn't really fit. He ordered me dead—”