Blood Awakening (6 page)

Both properties were accessed by a single dirt parking-lot
that bordered the southern branch of the winding Snake River. To get to either
one, visitors had to go forward on foot, crossing an archaic stone bridge that arched
across the deepest branch of the white-water tributary; then follow a steep, inclining
path that finally took them to the structures. In the event of a severely
injured patient, there were stretchers and wheelchairs available, but the
difficult environment served a purpose: Vampires could materialize, and humans weren’t
welcome.

Like every other structure in the house of Jadon,
the clinic was on private property. With human hunting societies, Dark Ones,
and lycans always posing a threat, it was important that the community remain
well-hidden.

Marquis parked the Hummer just to the right of the
bridge and got out of the truck, leaving the keys in the ignition. He never
worried about such things; after all, gods help the soul who decided to steal
from him. Although...it might make interesting sport: fun to track, easy to
dispose of. He opened Kristina’s door and waited while she slowly climbed out
of the vehicle, her eyes bloodshot and swollen from crying.

Marquis frowned. He was good with his fists and
his guns—and his trident, stilettos, and sling—but words were simply not his
forte, which was ironic considering he spoke twenty-one languages.

“Do you need a minute before we go in?” he asked. It
was all he could think of.

Kristina looked up at him, incredulous. “What
difference would that make?”

“None at all,” Marquis answered factually.

“Well, why not take one then,” Kristina quipped sarcastically.
She crossed her arms in defiance and leaned back against the graphite, metallic
truck, wincing from the pain of moving her battered muscles. And then she stared
straight ahead at the bridge as if it were the final walkway to the gallows—the
last journey of a condemned woman. She said nothing, so Marquis peered into her
mind...

It was more or less blank. She was listening to
the roaring sound of the rushing water, trying her best not to think or feel anything.

Marquis crossed his heavily muscled arms and
leaned back against the truck next to her; he figured he’d give this whole
reflective-silence thing about three minutes, and then he was taking her
inside.

As the two of them stood side-by-side, waiting for
time to slowly tick by, the air around them began to fill with strange
electricity. The night suddenly became eerily dark, almost as if someone had
turned out a light in the sky. Instinctively, they both looked up, and their
mouths dropped open in unison.

The sky above them was transforming. From a clear,
solid blue to a deep, infinite black. It was as if the moon and the stars had
simply burned out—as if light no longer existed—and then, just as unexpectedly,
the celestial lights began to come back on. One after the other, the most
brilliant, iridescent stars shone in the sky like a thousand torches in the
hands of the gods. The heavens were positively...and unequivocally...breathtaking.

And then the moon reappeared, shifting along its
lunar path, dipping down until it hovered behind the stars, beaming like a
spotlight trained on the most magnificent constellation. The spotlight began to
change color. From grayish white, to pinkish rose, to a deepening shade of
wine...until it finally emerged the color of
fresh blood.

A crimson moon beckoned in a backlit sky, shining
its haunting light on a single constellation.

Draco...the Dragon.

If Marquis had not been leaning against his truck, he would have fallen over. Awestruck
by the incredible sight. Fascinated by its beauty. Stunned by its meaning.

After
fifteen-hundred years
—living alone,
walking alone, sleeping alone...existing alone—he had all but given up on the
idea that the gods even remembered who he was. Yet now, his princess had
awakened after so many centuries, and in the blink of an eye, they had
rediscovered a love beyond the confines of this world.

Marquis drew in a deep breath and almost...smiled.

He had to get back to Ciopori right away. He had already
explained the Blood Curse to her, but he had failed to tell her his own
constellation. She would be thrilled to know that the gods had blessed them—that
they had made it possible for them to truly be together.

Marquis ran his hands through his thick raven hair
and looked at Kristina. “We need to get you inside right away; there is
someplace else that I need to be.”

Kristina’s deep blue eyes blinked several times,
and she swallowed a lump in her throat. She looked up at the sky, over at
Marquis, and then back at the sky a second time.

And then she repeated the whole process again.

She nodded quickly, tucked her injured arm behind
her back, and began walking at a strange angle so that she continued to face him
even as she attempted to walk beside him.

Halfway over the stone bridge, Marquis stopped. Cold
spray from the rushing river misted his face. “Why are you walking like that?”
he asked—straight to the point as usual.

Kristina shook her head way too rapidly. “Oh...was
I? I didn’t realize. Yeah...I think my injuries are just...yeah. I didn’t
realize that I was...walking strange.”

Marquis frowned. He noticed that her left arm was
still tucked behind her back—the  arm Dirk had burned with a cigarette. “Is that
burn still causing you pain?”

Kristina visibly trembled. “No, not anymore...I
mean…yeah, but not if I hold it like this.” She tried to smile. The warmth
didn’t reach her eyes.

Marquis took a step back then. There was a pungent
odor in the air. One he had never scented around Kristina before:
fear
. More
specifically,
fear of him
.

He wrinkled his forehead. “What is wrong with
you?”

Kristina shook her head and looked toward the
clinic. “The pain is just…we should hurry and get inside so you can go on and
get to...wherever you need to be.”

Marquis’s stomach lurched. All at once, a powerful
sense of dread swept over him. “Show me your arm, Kristina.”

Kristina showed him her right arm.

“The other one,” he barked, holding his breath.

Kristina blanched and took a step back.

Marquis heart did a back-flip in his chest. “Kristina,
you will show me your left arm
now
.” He pitched his voice an octave
lower, the tone as smooth as velvet, making the command impossible to refuse.

Like a puppet on a string, Kristina’s left arm
came out from behind her back and dangled in front of him as if he were working
her limbs from above.

Marquis took one glance and staggered back,
catching himself against the solid stone railing. His head spun in circles like
he had just stepped off a carnival ride.

It was right there in front of him. As clear as
the sky. Every marking, every line, every unmistakable contour—creating one
inevitable image:
on
Kristina Riley’s inner wrist
. Draco, the Dragon.
Marquis’s own birth constellation.

 The woman was terrified now, and frankly, Marquis
could not have cared less. His mind was in a free-fall, as if he had just been
in a terrible accident and was still trying to regain his equilibrium, figure
out where he was—what had just happened—whether or not he was going to survive.

Marquis shook his head adamantly. “No, this is not
possible.” He looked at Kristina’s arm again, and then he stared into her petrified
eyes. “Do you know what this means?”

The petite redhead croaked out an incoherent sound.

Marquis spun around and stared at the river, his
powerful hands closing into two hard fists...

And then just like that, an iron gate closed in
his mind.

It closed in his heart, shut out all thought, and locked
out emotion. It allowed only instinct and obedience. He couldn’t afford
anything else right now.

Marquis looked up at the sky, then at the parking
lot behind them, and finally, at the shadows among the trees. “It is not safe
for you to be outside anymore, Kristina.” His voice was monotone.

The skinny red-head visibly wilted, too afraid to
speak.

Just then, Kagen Silivasi shimmered into view,
standing on the bridge directly in front of them. His glorious dark brown hair
rustled in the wind like fine spun silk. His commanding brown eyes, with their
unusual silver reflections of light, stared straight through the Ancient Master
Warrior with wonder and concern. As he took a step forward, Kagen’s muscles
shifted like the powerful haunches of a black panther stalking toward prey. It
was the signature walk of a male vampire. “My brother…”  His raspy voice
trailed off.

Marquis met the healer’s gaze but said nothing.

Kagen looked up at the moon then. “I just saw the
sky.”

Marquis’s mouth was set in a hard line as he refused
to respond.

Kagen looked completely taken aback. “
It’s Draco.
”

“I know this!”

Kagen frowned. “Who is she, Marquis? Do you know
yet? Do you think the princess—”

Marquis held up his hand and just shook his head.

Kagen looked at Kristina then...and all the pieces
fell into place. There was a moment of stunned silence while the three of them
stood on the bridge, desperately trying to process the enormous turn of events.

Finally,
Kagen spoke to Marquis telepathically,
his worry readily apparent.
My brother, are you okay?

Marquis scowled then.
You and Nachari—you both
ask such inconsequential questions!

Kagen didn’t respond to the derisive remark. More
than likely, he understood.

All of Marquis’s brothers understood him—even if
they didn’t always appreciate his personality—and they were smart enough to
know when to back off, that there was nothing they could do when he didn’t want
their help. Marquis prayed Kagen would just leave it alone.

Kagen turned to Kristina then. “Welcome...
little
sister
...it is nice to see you again; we need to get you inside so we can
attend to your wounds.”

Kristina looked like a deer caught in the
headlights as she slowly nodded and began to follow Kagen inside.

“I’ll be there in a while,” Marquis whispered.

Kagen stopped walking then. He squared his
shoulders to Marquis and just glared at him...speechless.

Though it was very poor manners—if not downright
disrespectful—Marquis didn’t have the time…or the ability…to deal with Kagen’s
confusion right now. Desperate to head any inquiry off at the pass, he delved
into his brother’s thoughts, hoping to put the healer’s concerns to rest before
an uncomfortable conversation ensued.

Kagen was thinking about the one—and only—opportunity
a male vampire had in a lifetime to start a family. To find a mate. To atone
for the sins of his forefathers and once and for all live free of the Curse. Following
the Blood Moon, a male had only thirty days to secure his female...to live or
die...and consequently, the territorial instincts of a male who had just
discovered his
destiny
were as powerful as they were overwhelming. It
was simply unheard of for such a male to leave the female’s side so soon after
the Omen. And as for leaving her alone in an enclosed space with another male? Whether
that male was a friend or a brother, it just wasn’t done.

Ever
.

As far as Kagen was concerned, Marquis should have
been edgy, defensive, and overbearing right now. If anything, he expected
Marquis to shackle his
destiny
to his wrist, to drag her indoors, cursing
and fighting every step of the way, especially considering the warrior’s
complete lack of tact. Kagen knew something was wrong.

Terribly...terribly...wrong.

And because it was such a volatile time, he was
worried to death about his eldest brother.

Do not waste your energy concerning yourself
with such things, Kagen,
Marquis advised.
Please, just take my
destiny
inside and see to her wounds. I will be there shortly: I promise.

Kagen looked surprised, and then he nodded.
Very
well, Marquis…but hear this: You are the most honored amongst our family, and I
understand that this is a very pivotal…and difficult…night for you. And I also
know that you have a habit of checking up on all of your brothers by brushing
our minds from time to time. That is simply your way, and we all accept it. However,
should you ever retrieve my thoughts again without my permission, you and I
will have a very serious problem.

Marquis snorted and frowned. Kagen was right, of
course. Etiquette amongst the males in the house of Jadon was paramount.
Sacred
.

Oh well
, his silence was the only
acknowledgment Kagen was going to get and as close to an apology as Marquis would
go.

Understanding, Kagen turned to Kristina and
gestured toward the clinic. “Shall we?”