Haven (18 page)

My body complied. I stared into his angry dark eyes, searching for the right thing to say to make him back off. Nothing much came to mind other than,
Back off asshole! You get your jollies hurting girls? Can’t stand a little competition, can you?

My temper, not helpful. Like I cared. My mouth opened to utter a scathing comment but a flashback struck.

I cried, huddled in a shaft of moonlight on the ballroom’s cold, marble floor.

Jonas walked out of the gloom, very equestrian in black pants tucked into riding boots, a black shirt and waistcoat. His straight dark hair fell around his shoulders, and even as I sobbed, I thought, ‘How beautiful he looks in moonlight.’

He knelt on one knee in front of me, studied my face. “What causes my little warrior to cry alone in the dark?”

I told him my shame, the only one of my so-called girlfriends who’d never been kissed. They’d told everyone at school, my now ex-friends. The teasing was merciless, cruel. My life was over.

Jonas bowed his head. “A problem easily fixed.” He tilted my chin with cool, gentle fingertips. His lips pressed against mine in a soft, chaste kiss.

My first kiss.

I snapped back to the present. “What? How? That was...I felt—did you?”

Jonas released me. A curt nod said he experienced the memory, too. Face neutral, eyes guarded, he awaited my reaction.

I stared at him with new eyes. New awareness. As much as the adult me wanted to dislike this gloomy and hostile vampire, there was no doubt I loved him utterly. He was
family
. Jonas, Thomas, Tessa, even the mysterious, absent Uncle Zi. They were all my family. My home.
My
everything
.

A fine tremor overtook my body and my breath rushed out of me. My control slipped, crushed by the weight of my emotions. I closed my eyes against the tide. Tears leaked out anyway.

Jonas’s strong arms slid around me, held me close. “My Little Warrior.” He placed a tender kiss on my forehead.

I collapsed against him. “I love you, y-you st-stupid jerk.”

His arms tightened. “I know.”

I smacked his back.
Asshole
. Then laughed through the tears.

Thomas took me from Jonas and crushed me to his chest. “Welcome back,
cara mia
.” His power washed over me, calming me. The shakes and tears subsided.

“I’m still mad at you,” I complained into his chest, even as I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back.

He chuckled. “Then all is right in my world. Come.”

He led me to the couch. I sat between the two vampires, wiping my wet face with the back of my arm. Jonas handed me a box of tissues.

“So.” I resigned myself to having the big talk now, but Faith approached with a glass of water and a determined expression.

I accepted the drink. “Thanks.”

She sat on the coffee table, tilted her head, observing me in silence.

“Out with it,” I prodded.

“Your aura is all yours now. Orange and deepest red, gold dust within and without.”

“Uh, thanks?” I joked.

“Power and courage are yours, and the will is strong,” she continued in all seriousness. “Survival pushes at the anger. A driving force.”

Her hands danced in the space between us. “So much gold, so much energy.” She stiffened, eyes glazing over to milky white. Fear jolted my gut. The glass slipped from my hand and tumbled to the carpeted floor. Cold water splashed my feet. I reached for her, but the vampires pulled me back.

“Wait. Listen,” Thomas commanded.

“
The Awakening
.” Faith’s voice rang out like the solid toll of a bell. Goosebumps blanketed my arms. Something was happening, something unlike her usual mystic viewing moments. Something more
.

“An unexpected coupling, though the Heavens foretold the secret. The Earth Star whispered her name to the Mother. And thus the Beloved One, the brightest Star in the blackened sky, was born. In blood, of blood, from Life, from Death. Alive but not truly
awake. They tried to destroy the light as the power slept deep within, but the Father, the Father—”

Her eyes flitted from side to side as if she read a book. Jonas squeezed my arm, Thomas leaned forward.

“The Father, The Celtic Chieftain, The Dark Warrior. A massacre in blood and fire. Enemies perished. The phoenix of her power rose out of the ashes. The Darkness hungered, hunted. But the Father and the Chieftain obscured the view. The ultimate protection now undone, the Star recovers her light.”

Faith stood. Thomas and Jonas followed suit.

On the couch, I hugged my knees to my chest, dizzy from the energy in the room, from her words that made little sense yet rang true.

She gazed at me with foggy eyes, the centers spinning like a tornado. “The Transfiguration has begun,” she intoned. “Carina Agostina Ottavia Tranquilli.” My name boomed around the room. “You are the star, the light, the Nexus. The Youngling, your Key. Thus the five-pointed star is completed. The Five supports the Nexus. A formidable power in the Endgame. The blood ritual approaches. Your power, your courage, your will, your life and the survival of all rests upon your decision. When Saturn returns to the moment of your birth, you much choose as you were chosen. The Great Darkness watches the unfolding. Its minions are many. They—”

Blackness crept across her eyes, from corner to corner, deepest, darkest black. I scrambled to my feet. The darkness stared at me. My skin crawled. Something was in there. It wasn’t Faith.

“We know who you are.” Her voice vibrated with the sound of three male voices. “We know where you are and you will be Ours.”

Thomas and Jonas hissed. Their power blasted over the room. I huddled on the couch. As much as I wanted to help my friend, I had no clue what to do so I let the vampires drive. “What is that and can you get it out of my friend?”

Thomas and Jonas growled.

“My Mistress approaches,” Stella announced. “With company.”

The door opened and in flowed Tessa, in a royal blue silk wrap dress and matching strappy sandals, hair cascading around her shoulders like a radiant, golden shawl. Her luminous, blue-green eyes beamed love at me, while her lavender scent permeated the air, causing much of the tension in my body to fall away.

She held out her arms. “Come, my little Star.”

I hustled over to her. “Can you help Faith?”

“Worry not, my darling child. She will be freed.” Her voice held strength, confidence.

“Okay.” I pushed away my worry and let her comfort me, breathing her in. Oh, how I remembered and loved her scent. She represented safety, comfort, all things maternal. She was
home
. That reminded me we still lacked one player. Where was he?

“Dov’è Zio Zi?”
My Uncle Zi remained conspicuously
absent.

She stiffened. “In Italy
.
”

“Why isn’t he here? He should be, right? I mean, if he cares about me as much as I remember now.” I stepped out of her embrace.

“Oh, child, you cannot fathom the depth of his affection.”

“But he’s not here.” Sadness tinged my voice, tightened my throat.

“Detained,” Jonas supplied.

“Unavoidably,” added Thomas.

Well, gee, that explained it. Not at all.

A rap on the door interrupted us.

“Enter,” Tessa ordered.

At this point, I expected the arrival of Doc Scott or a nurse to check on Mark and Ren. Instead, my burly former nanny, Roland, entered the room dressed in a studded leather jacket, a black T-shirt, dark jeans and combat boots. He pushed a dark wood cart. A three-tiered tea sandwich tower and a floral china teapot with matching cups and saucers occupied the top. On the cart’s lower shelf, another teapot, cups and one liquor bottle.

My jaw dropped at the incongruous sight of this huge, punked out vampire maneuvering a tidy, traditional, British tea service. It was so stunning it took me several seconds to notice the smaller person trailing behind him.

It was the petite blonde witch from the housekeeping crew. She’d swapped out the black coveralls for a black velour tracksuit, the hood pulled up over her head. Her dark blue eyes stood out like beacons in her serious, pale face. She looked innocuous, surveying the room in silence, but something about her sent a chill up my spine.

Enemy.

There was the voice again, the one recognizing Alexander as mine. It didn’t like this cute little witch at all. I almost growled at her.

“Brigid, please attend to the Seer,” Tessa commanded.

The witch approached Faith, still sandwiched inside Thomas and Jonas’s power.

I moved to intercept. “Stop. Don’t touch her.” My gut screamed not to let her mojo anywhere near Faith.

“
Va bene
, Carina.” Tessa restrained me with one delicate yet strong hand. My vampire mentors were annoyingly powerful at times like this.

My unease increased. “No, it’s not okay, Tessa. I don’t want that witch touching my friend.”

“She will exorcise the evil, my sweet. Our men have it contained, but they cannot draw it out. We require a witch’s touch for that.”

I remained unconvinced. Brigid walked a circle three times around Faith before stopping to place her hand below my friend’s throat.

Wrong,
the voice growled.
Enemy.

“Don’t touch her!” I strained against Tessa’s hold. My power flared with my anger and swiped at Tessa’s hand.

“Carina,
calmati
,” Tessa purred. Her power squashed mine as if it were a pesky little gnat. Lavender suffused the air, willing me to relax, but I resisted.

“Back off, witch!”

Brigid ignored me, speaking in a language I didn’t understand.

Gaelic,
Jonas supplied in my head.

Do not worry,
Thomas added.

Yeah, right. I was beyond worried. A dizzying wave of energy prevented me from arguing further. Once it dissipated, Brigid broke contact. Spell complete.

My friend swooned. Jonas caught her, lowering her to the couch.

Brigid left the room, but not before she cast me a furtive, malicious glare. My fury flared.
Bring it on, wicked bitch.
I yanked at Tessa’s hold on my arm, but she held firm. Brigid escaped with one last smirk in my direction.

Evil.

Why did the vampires trust her? Couldn’t they see she was bad news? “You all trust that tiny witch?” I want to beat the crap out of her.

Tessa nodded. “Of course. She is ours.” As if that explained it. She released me and I rushed to my friend. “You okay?”

“Yes.” Her brown doe eyes blinked at me. Back to normal.
Phew
.

The witch
had
helped. But I still didn’t trust her. “Someone want to explain what just happened here?”

“Information overload,” Faith replied. “And an unwelcome visitor.”

“Yeah, I got that much. Details, please.”

“Well, I—”

“Hot toddy?” Roland’s rumbling voice interrupted. He offered me a cup. “Good for what ails you.”

Laughter burst out of my throat. My mind couldn’t parse this giant man handing me a dainty cup of tea, right after a witch had exorcised some kind of evil out of my best friend who’d experienced the wackiest trance of her life, right after I’d had an emotional greeting card moment with my long lost vampire relatives following an attack by a psychotic vampire and his undead biker gang in a restaurant serving blood and bloody steaks.

All that after waking up on my birthday with a hangover, beating up a witch, dealing with mayhem at the museum, meeting the hottest guy on the planet and almost dying from not one, but two supernatural asthma attacks and last, but not least, getting my arms chewed on by two vampires in my own club to jump-start my memory and free my power, which caused a few seizures and a four-day coma.

Just. Too. Bizarre.

I laughed so hard tears leaked out of my eyes. Faith held my hand and giggled a little, too.

Thomas and Jonas joined us on the couch. Jonas handed me the tissue box and I mopped up my face. Again. That almost restarted my laughing fit.

Stella picked up an overstuffed lounge chair and placed it opposite the couch. Tessa gave me an indulgent nod and sank into it.

Roland placed a teacup for me on the coffee table, along with the sandwich tower. He pointed at the top. “Cucumber and cream cheese.” Then the second tier. “Ham and brown mustard, tomato and cheddar.” And on the bottom, “chutney and cheddar, egg salad.”

I worked hard not to bust out laughing again. “This is so weird.”

“A thank you would be the more appropriate response, my child,” Tessa admonished.

“Thanks, Roland.”

Roland inclined his head. “You are welcome, Princess.” His gaze landed on Faith. Right. They didn’t know each other.

“Faith, this is Roland, he was my nanny—” Roland scowled. “I mean, my bodyguard when I was a kid.”

Faith graced him with her small, gentle smile.

His face softened. “Hot toddy, Miss Faith?”

“Yes, please.”

I picked up my cup and took a sip. “What is this exactly?” Tasted like a not-so British green tea, a hint of lemon and sugar, and a generous dose of alcohol. Delicious.

Roland handed Faith a cup. “Tea with brandy. Hot toddy.”

I selected a sandwich triangle from the top tier and bit into it. Yum. Roland made a good sandwich. I devoured it and reached for another, this time from the second level. Might as well sample them all. My gut rumbled. Apparently, hefty bouts of supernatural hijinks made me ravenous.

Roland prepped four more cups, this time using the teapot on the cart’s lower shelf, distributing those to the vampires. Warm blood, of course.

Faith and I sipped our beverages and consumed many tiny sandwich triangles.