Building From Ashes (18 page)

‘She said she only wanted a bit. Just to sleep. She hadn’t been sleeping well. I—I told her not to, but she wouldn’t listen! I only had a little and I didn’t want her getting anything dangerous. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…’

Deirdre searched the rooms, catching the faint scent in a corner of the basement. She could feel the damp creeping along her skin, but it didn’t mask the scent of Brigid or the harsh sweetness of the heroin.

Her breath caught when she saw her.

Ioan’s precious girl was lying slumped in the corner and the needle lay next to her leg, still bloody at the tip. The rubber strap lay limp in her other hand. Her eyes were partially open and rolled back in her head. Her heartbeat was faint and erratic.

“No,” Deirdre groaned and rushed over. “No, no, no.” She brushed the paraphernalia away from the delicate, wounded girl and lifted her up. Brigid’s breathing was shallow. Her pulse a mere flutter in her chest.

“Brigid!” she screamed and shook her. “Wake up. Wake up, girl. Please.”

She slapped her face; it did nothing. Deirdre slumped to the floor and rocked the small woman in her arms. “No, I can’t. I can’t lose you, too.” She dashed the tears from her eyes as she looked down into the deathly pale face. “I can’t, Brigid! He’d never forgive me.”

Deirdre screamed and tore her hair, remembering the sweat-soaked plea the girl had whispered so many years before.

“No, don’t… Please, don’t ask me. I don’t want to live forever…”

She rocked the girl’s still body back and forth until she heard the first falter of Brigid’s heart. Deirdre’s eyes cleared and she lifted a hand to smooth the hair back from Brigid’s pale forehead. “Forgive me.”

Wicklow

June 2010

Darkness. Fire. A twisting ache in her gut and a burning in her throat.

Burning. Everything was burning.

“Brigid?”

She heard his voice calling from a distance. Was she dreaming? She’d thought she was in hell, but he wouldn’t be there. No, he
couldn’t
be there. He was good. Pure in a way that she’d never been. The smell of smoke filled her nose and the fire rippled along her skin, soothing and burning at the same time.

Pain
.

It was the consuming thought in her mind.

Burning. Tingling. Snapping tiny bites along her flesh. Stripping bare every nerve with its vicious claws. Pain. Consuming, breath-stealing pain. But she was no longer breathing and suddenly, she knew.

Fire. She was immortal and she had been born into fire. She felt sharp fangs drop in her mouth, piercing her lips, and she tasted her own blood. It was sweet. Not metallic or bitter. Sweet.

Why?
She wanted to scream.
Why, why, why?

She was in Ioan’s library in Wicklow, and Carwyn was moving toward her, calling, “It’s me.”

But it’s not me,
her heart screamed.
Stay back!

She silently begged him to stay away. Fire vampires were volatile. They killed those who came close. She couldn’t hurt him. She
couldn’t
. She tried to breathe. To calm herself. It gave her no relief.

Just then, she heard him start to sing a lullaby and felt the tears roll down her face, sizzling and steaming as they touched her skin. He sang the silly, childish song she’d heard Ioan humming to her as a child. When was that? Had she ever been a child? Had she ever been innocent? She felt the anger well up and the fire started to snap along her body again. She curled into herself, willing him to stay away from the monster she had become.

“Brigid?”

No!

She could feel it snapping to the surface again. There was nothing to protect him from her rage. Nothing to shield him from the outpouring of pain and anger that she felt begin to consume her.

Please, God
, she begged.
Let me be consumed
.
Don’t let me hurt anyone else.

He was at the threshold. She could
feel
him. She could feel his energy reaching out to her. Trying to surround her and comfort her, but she pushed it away.

“Brigid…”

Stay away!
She lifted her eyes to meet his. The monster with the brilliant blue eyes stared back at her. Then he gasped, and she realized what he saw.

She was the monster now.

Brigid heard her feral scream erupt a moment before Carwyn’s amnis rushed around her and the mountain crashed down.

He moved effortlessly through the silent earth, using his amnis to protect her from the fire, pushing away the rocks and rubble until he could sense her. He felt the hum of her amnis glowing like a banked fire in the darkness. Carwyn pushed through the soil until he was next to her, stretching his body out with the earth between them. Then he moved his hand, clearing a pocket around her face, but leaving the rest of her smothered in the cool soil. Her hollow eyes flickered open. He couldn’t stop staring. The iris had been charred by her turning, and a deep grey border ringed the brown, creating a mesmerizing stare.

He said nothing. What was there to say?

Finally, she whispered, “It wasn’t you. Was it Deirdre?”

“Yes.”

She said nothing.

“Are you in pain?”

He could see the truth in her eyes, but she shook her head as much as she could. “The pressure feels good against my skin, in a strange way. Did I hurt anyone?”

Carwyn lifted a hand and brushed more soil from her face. He wished he had a wet cloth, or would that be too harsh on her newly turned skin? Her senses would be like a raw nerve now. He didn’t remember his own turning, it had been too long, but he had sired eleven children, though none had been born to fire. He knew how to soothe a vampire of his own element, but what would comfort Brigid now?

“You didn’t hurt anyone. Can you feel your amnis?”

“I understand why you call it a current now. I can feel it washing over me. It’s like water. Only very, very hot. Like the hottest bath you could imagine.”

“I know it hurts, but concentrate on pushing it over your body, if you can.”

She took a breath and closed her eyes. “I ruined his library.”

Carwyn forced a smile, cupping her cheek in his hand. It was scalding hot, but he didn’t move it away. “Technically, I did. Don’t worry, we’ll build another one.”

“Did I burn everything?”

“We’ll build again.”

“Ashes.” He saw tears come to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “I saw the room. I left it in ashes.”

“We can build again, Brigid. I promise. Even from ashes.”

He heard her take a breath and could feel her amnis cover her cheek as his hand lay against it. They stared at each other, enveloped by the silent, eternal earth.

“Do you remember last year in the pub when you put your hand on my cheek because it was cold?”

Carwyn smiled. “I remember.”

“It felt nice.”

“It did.”

“I don’t like it when most people touch me, but I don’t mind it when you do. Why do you think that is?”

He felt a burning in his throat and his eyes watered. “I don’t know, but I’m glad.”

“Me, too.”

They were silent again, and Carwyn could feel her amnis growing stronger. Her shield was building even as he watched. So strong. She had always been so strong. So determined. “Were you trying to kill yourself, Brigid?”

She blinked. “I don’t know, really. I just wanted to rest. I only wanted a little bit of peace. And now I’ll never have any.”

Carwyn swallowed back the harsh groan and said, “You must take care of yourself. Please, you must.”

“I know.” She sighed and the dust stirred in the air between them. “I was so tired. I only wanted to rest. Now I’m tired and hungry.”

He bit back a growl when he saw the fangs fall in her mouth. He would feed her if she asked. He
wanted
her to ask, even though he knew it wasn’t wise. He needed to get her blood soon, and a lot of it. Hopefully, Deirdre had made arrangements.

“We need to get you blood, and we need to dig out of this mountain.”

“I’m hoping you can do the digging part, because I’ve no idea how.”

He smiled. “I do. Why don’t… Why don’t you just let me take care of you for a bit?”

Brigid blinked her eyes again, watching him, as Carwyn felt the shifting in his heart.

He couldn’t solve the ills of the world. He couldn’t bring his son back to life, or heal his daughter’s grief. And he knew he couldn’t fix Brigid Connor, either. Not really. But he could help her. This young woman who had lived too much in her short life. He could help her take care of herself. Even if it was just for a while.

“Will you let me, Brigid?”
Please
.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. He could see the fear behind her eyes, the instinctive caution. Slowly, she nodded and Carwyn let out a breath. He cleared more room around her until they were huddled together in the ruins of the library. Then he stripped off his shirt and covered her. Brigid flinched when the cloth touched her sensitive skin, but he saw her force herself to relax.

Carwyn crouched down and lifted her in his arms, careful to make sure she was covered. Her skin was still burning hot as he sent out his energy to move the earth in front of them, slowly clearing a path out of the mountain. After a moment, he could hear movement as they broke through the rocks and roots, making their way to the surface. Deirdre called out, but he said nothing, conscious of Brigid’s newly keen hearing.

“Just keep your eyes closed, love. You don’t have to see or talk to anyone right now if you don’t want to.”

“Is everyone out there? I can smell them. Smell the humans.” A low snarl ripped from her throat, but her voice was desperate. “Don’t let me hurt anyone!”

“I won’t.” He clutched her tighter and felt the bite of her burning skin. “There’s quite a few out there. They were trying to keep the other houses from burning.”

“Oh, God!”

“Shhh,” he whispered. “Remember, we’ll build again. No one was hurt. Just wood and stone, Brigid.”

“I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re not.”

He took deep breaths, hoping she could mirror his movements. Her arms were wrapped around him and one hand lay over his heart. Carwyn gritted his teeth when he felt the blistering heat burn his skin, but said nothing. The outer crust of the mountain crumbled before him, and he pushed his way through, still holding tightly as he saw familiar faces.

“All humans,” he roared, “get back now!”

His voice must have thundered in her ears because Brigid cringed and tried to escape his arms. He held her even more tightly and felt the bite of her fangs in his shoulder. He swallowed the groan. Deirdre’s worried eyes met his, but he shook his head and she remained silent.

“She needs blood,” he said roughly.

The humans fled and Carwyn searched for Anne’s face. She had followed him from Galway and he was more grateful than ever for the caring and sensitive water vampire. Anne nodded in understanding and he saw her order Deirdre away as one of Ioan’s children ushered them to a barn where Carwyn could hear cattle lowing. The other vampires on the farm looked on with wary eyes as the fire flickered along Brigid’s neck.

“Everyone’s looking at me, aren’t they?” she whispered.

“Just hold on to me, Brigid.” Her burning hands seared him again, but Carwyn held strong. “I’ve got you. Don’t let go.”

Book Two: Fire

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain

while it blazed with fire to the very heavens,

With black clouds and deep darkness.

Deuteronomy 4:11

Chapter Twelve

Galway

August 2010

Brigid heard a crash down the hall as the ground shook when Carwyn and Deirdre started arguing again. Anne cocked an eyebrow and moved another chess piece, but didn’t say a word.

Deirdre yelled, “Why don’t you call Gio?”

“Gio is on the other side of the world. You expect him to leave Beatrice in China to come here and help her? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Why does she need to leave at all?”

“Are you mad, Deirdre? She’s a fire vampire.
Fire
. Not earth. I may be a thousand years old, but I can’t teach her how to control fire, you idiot.”

The earth gave another jolt, followed by another crash. Brigid only pursed her lips and looked up at Anne, moving her rook into position to take a black pawn. “Do you think it would matter if I told them what
I
want to do?” she asked.

Anne was the picture of calm as she said, “Probably not. Just let them fight. I think they enjoy it.”

Brigid craned her neck to glance down the hall, but only saw the edge of Deirdre’s wild red hair. “Fine with me.”

“I hate that woman, Father.
Hate
her. Brigid is my child now, and I don’t want her near—”

“That vampire is your sister-in-law, and you’ve been at each other’s throats for over fifty years now. Get over it. She’s family. More importantly, she’s a fire vampire and she’ll be able to teach Brigid things that you can’t.”

Brigid heard Deirdre growl and there was another crash.

She surveyed the board, carefully weighing her options, seeing every move and its consequence as her brain fired at lightning pace. “Is Cathy really that bad?”

Anne shook her head. “No. I’ve only met her a few times, but I liked her. If you ask me, she and Deirdre are too much alike. It’s just that Cathy says whatever the hell is on her mind and Deirdre doesn’t. That’s why they don’t get along.”

“Sorry about your kitchen.”

“I think they’re only breaking dishes. Doubt they can help it. Earth vampires.” Anne snorted. “It’s fine. I didn’t really like that set anyway. I’ll make Carwyn buy me a new kitchen if it comes to it. He’s got the money.”