The Return (15 page)

When she didn't respond, Zac stroked her hair with his free hand and whispered ever so slightly, "Please let me save you." He sighed in relief as he felt her teeth sink into him. Looking at his brother, who hovered by the side of the bed, he gestured for them to leave. Sam pulled a wide-eyed Alex out into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

Once she had drunk her fill, he laid her back down and pulled a blanket over her, all the while not taking his eyes away, afraid she'd disappear again. As her eyes grew heavy, he caressed her face, his heart hammering in his chest. Soon she was sound asleep as her body continued to heal itself. Taking a washcloth from the adjoining bathroom, he wiped the blood from her face and his neck, the wound having already closed over. Kicking off his boots and lying on the bed beside her he took in her sleeping form and considered all the things he had dreamed over the past two weeks. He regretted not going to check on her after seeing her regenerate from other more horrific wounds. He should have, but the grief at her loss was too much. He didn't 
believe
.
And now here she was, asleep beside him.
 

For the first time he began to understand who she was, why she had pushed him away. Her entire life had been about avenging her family; coming to terms with what she had become. There had been nothing else for her. Exhausted from the loss of blood, he brushed the hair from her face and pressed his lips to her forehead. No longer able to fight the fatigue that washed over him, he closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. And for the first time in two weeks, it was dreamless.

When Aya finally woke it was dark outside. The curtains were still open and the pale silver light from the moon shone over the room. Turning her head slightly, she was surprised to see Zac was asleep beside her, the music of his blood dulled. Taking in his sleeping form, her lips pulled into a smile, but it quickly turned into a frown. Her blood would have given him dreams and what those dreams were made her afraid.
Afraid of his reaction and what she might have to do to keep her secrets.

Careful not to disturb him, she wearily made her way to the bathroom. Closing the door and turning on the light, she peeled off her torn and bloodied t-shirt, stripping bare to her bra. She surveyed her chest where the wound had been, fingers tentatively testing the newly grown skin. It was completely healed of course, and she scoffed. How many hearts was this?
Three or four?
She could scarcely remember.

Still feeling a little weak, she held onto the marble counter top and took a few deep breaths. She had drunk Zac's blood again and in hindsight, perhaps she shouldn't have. The fact that it called to her was a warning. It was unknown territory and there was no way of knowing what it might do to her if she overdosed on it. She had drunk so much, but there was no taking it back now. Aya took in her reflection, her hair was tangled and wild, but her eyes sparkled. Her pale skin felt sensitive and as she ran a hand across her cheek a trail of color followed her fingertips. Like she used to be, like the shimmered pearl inside of a shell, translucent. Startled and suddenly light headed, she fell backwards, knocking the bowl of soap onto the tiled floor with a crash.

Curling up on the floor she was vaguely aware that Zac had burst in and was scooping her up in his arms. He placed her back in bed and covered her shivering form with a blanket. Drawing her close he rubbed her arms as if to warm her up. "It's okay,” he murmured.

"Zac," Aya whispered into his chest. "What have you done to me?"

He frowned, but her eyes were closed tightly and he kissed her forehead. She shuddered at the contact and sighed. "I saved you… like you saved me," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she was confused.

"For not coming to get you once…" he began.

Aya wasn't sure she was ready to hear what memories her blood had given him, but she could have a good guess as to what. Instead, she changed the subject. "What happened? Who killed me?"

"I didn't see at the time, it was two days before I woke. But Sam told me it was a vampire named Arturius who killed you. He was waiting for the moment you let your guard down. I'm sorry, Aya. It was my fault. If I hadn't of been cursed, I…" He closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "We've been trying to find a way to kill him."

Aya looked at him as if he was either crazy or brave, he wasn't sure. "Zac, Arturius is a founder." And it wasn't his fault she had let her guard down. If she had of been thinking straight, she would have known that it was the perfect opportunity for ambush. Weakened by the confrontation with Katrin and overwhelmed by the loss of blood. But she said nothing of this to Zac.

"We had to try. And we still will," he said, brow furrowed.

She squeezed her eyes shut as if she was in pain. "How long since…" she whispered, changing the subject yet again.

"About two weeks," he drew her close. "I thought you were gone forever." Her eyes filled with tears and he brushed them away with his thumb. He looked in wonder as her skin shone where he had touched.

She shivered and looked away, "Why are you still here? Why did you help me?"

Zac frowned, confused. "What do you mean? Of course I'm still here."

"What did you see?" her voice was hesitant.

"You mean the dreams?" When she nodded, he said, "I saw you.
As you were before.
I saw what the Romans did to you. What Arturius did to
you.
Your escape.
Then…" He wasn't sure how to phrase her many suicide attempts, he wasn't happy about remembering those dreams.
Vivid dreams where he was powerless.
 

"You saw how many times this has happened to me," she was distant again. "I've kept this secret for my entire existence. No one knows I can regenerate. I loathed what I had become and had to end it anyway I could. But
I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried
,
I still woke up
. The one true immortal."

Zac held her closer, unsure of what to say, fighting her resistance to his touch.

Aya continued, "Why are you still here? Why are you helping me? You saw the disgusting things I inflicted on myself... Things that should never happen to any human... I did them to myself!" She tried to push him away.

"Aya, I love you. Nothing will ever change that," he said for the first time. 

She turned her head away, not daring to hope.

He grasped her face, forcing her to look at him. "We have both done horrible things in our past, but the future is ours to change. You can trust me to keep your secret. And without a doubt, you can trust Sam and Alex.
Liz and Gabby, too.
You're part of our family now."

At the mention of family, she squeezed her eyes shut. "My family was slaughtered in their sleep. Anyone who comes close to me inevitably suffers the same fate. I can't… I can't do that to you."

"Aya, we all know the danger we're in. As with Katrin and Caius, we all understand what is at stake," Zac reassured her. "And we will fight Arturius and anyone else that threatens the ones we love." He pressed his lips against hers and she felt herself give into him. His touch melted everything away and only her love for him remained.

Aya scarcely hoped to believe what he said was true.

As if he sensed her holding back he said, "I've waited a long time for you, Aya. One hundred and seventy years. I'm not going to let you go so easily."

"H
ow is she?" Sam asked as Zac shuffled into the parlor, rubbing his eyes.

"Drained, delirious." He sat on the sofa, his expression troubled.

"I think it's to be expected after resurrecting," Sam reasoned, sitting in the chair opposite. "That's got to take it out of her."

"All those dreams," Zac started to say. "They were all true. Who she was before, what she became after.
Arturius' betrayal.
Her
family
."

The brothers sat in silence for a while, as if trying to digest what they had already suspected was true. The last thing Aya would want was for them to sit there and pity her.
What happened in the past couldn't be changed
,
it was what it was
. A memory. 

"All the more reason to go after Arturius," Sam said with a finality.

"Oh, there's more," Zac sat forward, elbows resting on his knees. "There were
six
Romans. Aya killed three of them when she was turned. And we witnessed Caius' ass kicking. Arturius and his brother, Regulus are the last remaining founders."

Sam cocked his head, "And you want to go after him as well?"

"She'll never rest easy until they're all gone. And after everything that's happened, I intend to see it done."

"I don't doubt it," his brother smiled, shaking his head.

"Sure, she's got her problems, but the last thing we should do is sit here and feel sorry for something that happened two thousand years ago. We need to get rid of the threat entirely. Then perhaps we can live a peaceful life. That was the point of coming back here after all."

"I've never met a vampire who
didn't
have issues," Sam said gently. "And Morgan?"

"I can't ask her to do more than she already has. If she wants to stay then it’s her choice. I've been up front with our situation."

"How much does she know?"

"The bare minimum. Nothing about the dreams, Aya's past." It wasn't his secret to tell and he was worried about what she would make of Aya's resurrection. How was he going to explain that?

Suddenly, they became aware that they were being watched. Turning, they saw Aya standing in the doorway, gazing at them curiously. She'd gone into her room and changed into fresh clothes and her long raven hair had been brushed, but what gave the brothers reason to pause were her eyes. The depth of them seemed endless, like the whole universe lived inside her. Zac stood hastily, whatever he was going to say dissolving in his throat. All he could see was
her
.

"I know," she said, tilting her head to the side. "I can't fathom it either. I assume it has something to do with you."

"Me?" Zac sat hastily as she perched beside him on the sofa, his gaze fixated on her eyes.

"It would seem that your blood has woken something in me that I thought was lost," she peered at him curiously.

"Your..."

"Spirit. Powers. Magic. Whatever you want to call it," she sighed. 

"Is that why it makes that sound?"

"I don't know." She dropped her gaze and wrung her hands, suddenly nervous. Now was the time she'd have to give them answers. Zac knew without asking that it was something she'd never given anyone. Glancing up at them she said, "I have a lot of explaining to do."

Sam seemed uncomfortable and went to stand. "I'll leave you two alone."

"No, Sam. You can stay. I assume Zac has told you about the dreams." Aya curled her legs beneath her on the sofa next to his brother. "You have as much right to hear what I have to say, given you are mixed up in this as much as I am. For that, I'm sorry. I never intended for you all to be put into the firing line."

"Aya," Sam grasped her hand reassuringly. "You became one of us a long time ago. The things you have done for all of us, well, it's the least I can do. You don't need to apologize."

She smiled tiredly, pulling her hand back awkwardly. "I have a lot to say," she sighed, trying to find the right place to begin. "I've been known by many names. Not all nice. People have worshipped the idea of what I was and what I became. The good
and
evil."

"
Aericura, the raven haired star
..." Zac whispered absently.

Aya's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, that's one name I was known by. Not the one I was given when I was born, but close enough."

Zac took her hand tentatively. "What is your name?"

"I was born, Aeriaya. She is dead." Her words signaled
a finality
, her eyes dark.

"I dreamed about you in the forest," he whispered. "You were in a clearing, surrounded by Spanish moss covered trees and the ground was white, covered with small flowers... You shone like pearl and your hair was silver."

Aya was suddenly
shy,
he saw her cheeks turning pink as she blushed. He reached up and cupped her face in his hand, making her look at him. "That girl is who I was before," she whispered sadly.

"Who was she?"

"I was never human," she said, looking hesitantly at Sam as Zac's hand dropped away. "I was the last daughter of my kind. We were called the Celestines. Those from the stars and the earth."

"That's why you were called the 
star
..." Sam said, leaning forward.

"My family gave the first witches their power. They created their kind as you now know them," she smiled sadly, remembering. "We were the source of the power behind nature.
Of
life
.
I had the strongest earth sense of all. I could feel the trees growing, flowers unfurling. At night the stars would sing to me, their light would dance on my shoulders. I could feel the earth down right down to the core.

"It was our purpose to keep the balance of the earth, to ensure that it was green and fertile and strong for those that lived on it. But by the time I was born, we had dwindled to a mere few. My family was the last..." Her voice caught in her throat and she stifled a sob, determined to keep her emotions in check. "Katrin was one of the five founding witches. They were given their powers in trust to help keep the balance of the earth in the event of our absence. Katrin betrayed the faith that was placed in her and created the first vampires out of spite and a lust for power over us. She easily found willing victims for her
scheme,
there was war all over Britain at that point.
War between tribes and invasion from abroad.
She found them from the ranks of the invading Roman armies. They were hungry for power and easily seduced by the lure of riches, strength and immortality. They would pay the price one way or another," Aya shivered as she remembered the day she was snatched in the forest. "Caius and Arturius you know. Arturius turned me once they realized I was no good to them anymore. My
family weren't
coming to save me, they left me to my fate, rather than submit to Katrin. I hated them at the time for abandoning me, but now I know they did it to protect the whole. He... he turned me just to see what would happen.  He had no idea of the monster he would create."

"Son of a bitch," Zac glowered, he had been silent throughout her story until now.

"Katrin was desperate to learn the secrets of the Celestines," she spat. "With those secrets she sought to control the earth itself and everything in it."

"Do you know why she created vampires?" asked Sam, as much for himself as anyone.

"Vampires were created as a weapon and a way to learn what we wouldn't give. Celestines were connected with their power most at
night,
the stars could be used as a conduit to their sense of self.
My sense of self.
Hence, why vampires can only walk in the night. As you know, blood was one way Katrin could coerce information from us. She learnt much from me while I was imprisoned, but none of it made sense. She could never learn what she needed that way. It had to be given freely."

"So, the founders were useless," Sam shook his head.

"What a conundrum, huh?" she said, wryly. "I doubt it was the only reason. But she's not in the position anymore to give us any answers."

The brothers were silent, finally realizing the gravity and the extent of what they had avoided by helping her banish Katrin's spirit. It sounded like the ultimate cliché, but she had truly tried to take over the world. And it seemed Arturius wanted to continue on, regardless.

"The Romans I killed that first day were Titus, Marcus and Octavia. Titus I killed when I escaped. Marcus and Octavia I tore apart when I returned for revenge. There is also Regulus, who is alive somewhere."

"I saw them in the dreams," whispered Zac. "Arturius we will find a way to deal with. Do you have any idea where Regulus might be?"

"It's a big wide world, Zac. He could be anywhere. Sure as hell he knows that Caius and Katrin are dead. I've hidden from them for two thousand years, undoing their work wherever I can. I'm not concerned that he'll find me once we corner Arturius. I know how to go undetected, I can show you a few things."

Zac was miles away, "Maybe Arturius is doing his dirty work."

Aya shook her head, "I don't know. But, he was always the runt of the litter. He and Regulus never got on."

"I think we should concentrate on Arturius," Sam said, not betraying his reaction to her story. "He is the more pressing. While he is here, Gabby won't be safe."

"Gabby?" Aya sat up straighter on the sofa at the mention of her name.

"Yes," Sam said. "Arturius has made some attempts to attack and kidnap her. I suspect because of what she knows about you."

"From when we banished Katrin," she groaned. He had been lurking in the bushes like a pathetic peeping tom. Waiting for her to let her guard down, so he could rip her heart out. He would have seen her and Gabby together and suspected.

"Where is she now?" Aya asked.

"She's staying with Alex for the time being. Arturius doesn't know where he lives yet and certainly cannot get into the house. For now, she's safe," Sam reassured her.

"Not for long," she worried her bottom lip. "Arturius is smart, Sam. He's been hunting me for so long it's like second nature to him. He's come close many times. If he hasn't already found her, he
will
any minute."

"I'll go and check on them," Sam said. "I'll give you two some time."

Aya didn't speak for a long time after he'd left. Zac sat with her, grasping her hand like she was going to disappear as he watched thoughts tumble about her mind. She'd relived some of the most painful memories of her existence today, the memories that she'd buried for thousands of years. It must take some getting used to. Remembering.

"I know what you’re thinking," she whispered, when she finally felt able to speak.

"What?" Zac whispered back.

"The fact that I grew my heart back," she grimaced. "How I can come back from being hung, drawn and quartered. How I can survive being burnt alive. Having my head chopped off."

"Decapitation?" he gasped.

"I didn't do that one at the time, but I did get my head lopped off by some British king in the middle ages. You should have seen the look on his face when I bent over and picked it up," she tried to make light of the situation.

"Geesus," he hissed. "Do I want to know the logistics of that?"

"Not really. It hurt like hell, by the way."

"I'm sure it did," he said, rubbing his neck.

"How does anything work? Your existence and Gabby's is the result of magic.
For lack of a better word.
It's that simple."

"You can't die because of magic," he began to understand.

"The ultimate conundrum," she laughed. "The source of magic, turned into a creature made of magic. I'm a black hole that can't be cancelled out."

"And when everything is gone?" He wasn't sure he wanted to think about the end of time.

"Who knows?" she shrugged. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. Unless a solution to my consistent resurrections is found."

"That's dangerous information."

Aya frowned and sighed. They had much work to do before she could contemplate finding those answers.

Zac's eyes darkened suddenly. "She should have told us. I could have understood the dreams."

Aya shook her head. "When you thought I was dead."

His head snapped up, his green eyes wide. "But you're not dead, you're here."

Her blue eyes were suddenly cold, falling back to her previous thoughts. "Maybe one day I will be."

Zac's eyes searched hers, willing her to come back. She was the one true immortal, she had said. She couldn't
die,
he'd seen it in his dreams and with his own eyes. Suddenly, he was overcome with sadness and he knew that secretly, Aya wanted to die. Maybe not today, or in a hundred years... But eventually, she wanted to go back to the earth. He wasn't sure what to say to reassure her. Maybe his love wouldn't be enough in the end.

Finally, she said, "Don't be mad at Gabby. She was bound to secrecy by a law older than us all. I don't know what would have happened if she had broken it," she smiled faintly. "In a way we are sisters. It was my mother who gifted her line with their power, along with a piece of herself. A piece of my family lives on in all witches. Misuse is a betrayal."