The Vaga (21 page)

‘Well, it was a long time ago now. I just don’t talk about them much. In fact, I don’t think I’ve
ever
spoken about them.’ His voice is raw and strained.

I get up and make us a coffee, allowing him time to calm his emotions, while silently kicking myself for blurting out his parents’ death like that.

Why did I do that? Note to future insensitive self:
do not talk about dead parents unless he brings it up first
.

I sit back down, pushing his mug towards him. My magic reaches out to him and I feel like he actually
does
want to share his feelings with me.

‘You know, if you want to talk about them at some point, I’m here.’

He gives me a small smile. ‘I think I’d like that.’

I silently breathe a sigh of relief.

‘So what were you going to tell me?’ I ask.

He takes a sip of coffee and then reverts back to hunter mode. ‘Erebus is intent on kidnapping you, we know that now. The Crocotta attacking means he knows where you are, and if he’s as powerful as we assume he is, then he will figure out
where
you are vulnerable.’

‘What do you mean?’ I ask, not liking where this is headed.

‘Your family, Elena. That is your soft spot. If he can’t get to
you
, he will target those you love. I know because…that’s what I would do.’

The mug pauses half way to my lips, fear crawling beneath my skin like a thousand mites.

He frowns. ‘I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s the truth.’

‘He’ll target my family?’

‘To get what he wants, yes.’

Damn him to hell
.

‘I think it would be best if you got your family out of here. Take them some place safe, somewhere they won’t be harmed.’

Of course he’s right. I need to teleport them to a safe place far from here. At least until the Blood Moon has passed.

‘Somewhere none of us know about. Not even me.’

My head whips up. ‘What?’

‘You can’t trust
anyone
, Elena. Erebus possesses great power. He has the ability to manipulate anyone, and he won’t stop until he has what he wants.’

‘Is this what your father said?’

He looks away from me. ‘He’s not my father. Cassius is more like my guardian.’

Cassius? The C from the text.
Where have I heard that name before
?

‘He says that news has been coming in of an increase in demonic occurrences around the world. Hunters are being killed, and more creatures are revealing themselves. I’ve since told him about what your uncle uncovered and he now thinks that these creatures are revelling in the news of the Dark Lord’s rising, making them more bold, more fearless. He thinks it’s best you get your family out now.’

‘The Dark Lord? He said that?’

He nods.

‘Did he say anything else?’ I ask, curious about this mysterious Cassius and why he would be helping me.

‘He also made it perfectly clear that I am not to leave your side, no matter what.’ He arcs an eyebrow suggestively.

I blush, trying to hide my face behind the rim of the mug.

He smirks. ‘So you’re okay with that part I take it?’

I shrug. ‘Could be worse.’

His eyes smolder with heat and it causes goosebumps to rise along my arm. What is he thinking now? If it’s what I’m thinking, then we are in all sorts of trouble.

He leans forward. ‘You know, we never
did
get to finish the twenty questions yesterday.’

I place the mug down as calmly as possible but the light tremor in my fingers sees a few drops of coffee splatter against the table top.
Really smooth
,
Ellie
!

‘Well, you said that you already know everything about me?’

‘That was sort of a lie. I know a lot, but not everything.’

I square my shoulders, trying to shake off the desire that is prickling my skin. ‘Fine. Then I’ll ask you five questions first. Ready?’

He smiles and gestures for me to begin.

‘How old are you?’

‘Twenty-six.’

Twenty-six
? A little older than I thought, but then I have always had a thing for older men.

‘Favourite food?’

‘Italian.’

‘Favourite animal?’

‘I have to say wolf-dog, otherwise I could jeopardise our new relationship.’

I smile at his candor. ‘What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish but haven’t yet?’

‘To sleep a whole night without waking.’

‘Really? You’ve never slept a whole night before.’

‘No. Next question.’

Smirking I say, ‘What’s your shoe size?’

His brows shoot up in surprise and a smile plays at his lips.

Holy crap
!
Did I just say that
? I swallow the lump in my throat, watching his face light up with amusement just as my dignity crashes into a million humiliating pieces.

‘Uh…I didn’t mean to ask that. What I meant was—’

‘Thirteen.’

‘Huh?’

‘I’m a size thirteen.’

I gulp and the sound echoes throughout the kitchen. My face is aflame but I can’t even fathom the right words that could somehow get me out of this awkward position.
Damn Phoebe and her sex stories
.

He leans in, his eyes steaming hot and sexy as hell. I hold my breath.

‘My turn for questions.’ His voice comes out husky and a little uneven.

I don’t move.

‘Would you like to kiss me?’

A fire stirs within me as I think about what it would feel like to have his lips on mine. I’ve wanted him so badly, years of build-up and anticipation fueling my hunger for him. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want him to kiss me. Looking at him now, there is nothing else I would want, but it’s not just a physical need either. With Julian it’s more.

I want to be close to him. I want to get to know him intimately, to feel his heart against mine.

‘Yes,’ I whisper.

He smiles and pulls my chair towards him, and then everything happens in slow motion. His hand finds the back of my head and he gently brings my face towards his. I feel his sweet breath on my cheek before his lips fall onto mine, parting them tenderly. My heart bursts inside my chest, my ability to think and feel completely absorbed by his touch. I wrap my arms around his neck and our kiss deepens, sending currents of electricity racing through my body. Our kisses become more heated, hungry, laden with passion. I get lost in his touch, his smell, his wanting. He pulls me onto his lap and I feel his desire. The world becomes a blur as I revel in this moment. I’ve dreamt about what it would feel like to kiss him, to feel his heart beating next to mine, but I never thought it would feel this good.

His kisses eventually soften, and then he gently pulls back, resting his forehead against mine, our breathing labored and warm against our faces.

‘I’ve waited so long to do that,’ he whispers.

‘So have I.’

He lifts his eyes and for the first time I notice that his left eye is darker than his right. I drink him in, taking in the strong curve of his jawline, my fingers trailing the flecks of stubble peeking through onto his cheeks. His fingers weave their way through the hair falling around my shoulders and he smiles, causing my heart to do crazy things inside of me.

‘Is this really happening?’ I ask, wanting to believe that what we are feeling is real. That after all these years of dreaming of him, of hoping that he felt the same way, that somehow we would be together, somehow we would work it out.

He gently grabs my chin and pulls it in towards him, planting another soft, toe-curling kiss onto my lips.

‘It’s real.’

I smile, letting myself finally believe it, knowing that whatever has happened in the past is behind us now and that we need to move forward, together.

Movement sounds out down the hall and I quickly shuffle off his knee, sitting back down on my cold chair, and sipping on my now cold coffee.

He chuckles. ‘I haven’t seen you move that fast before.’

I smile. ‘Shut up.’

No other noises follow and I let out a sigh of relief.

Julian stands up and holds out his hand. ‘I’ll make us another one, shall I?’

I hand him my mug and he takes it over to the bench.

‘Can I ask you something?’ I say, unsure of his reaction but needing to know anyway.

He looks back over his shoulder. ‘Sure.’

‘Why is Cassius helping me?’

Now that I’ve heard his name I can’t seem to get past the feeling that I know it somehow. It’s like a low hum coming from deep inside me. It’s the weirdest feeling.

Julian passes me my coffee and sits back down. He stares down at the steam rising from his mug before responding.

‘Cassius is a complex man. Who knows why he does most of what he does?’

I wait patiently, knowing there is more he wants to say. My ability to read people has always been a silent gift, especially in these types of situations.

‘The truth is I don’t know why he is helping you.’ He looks up and I raise an eyebrow in his direction, not quite buying that response. Something tells me he knows more than he’s letting on. A sigh escapes him before he continues. ‘In our order we have a High Council.’

‘The seven robed men?’

‘Yes,’ he says, surprised. ‘You saw them?’

I nod.

‘They are our High Council. The most revered of all the Puritans. They are the ones that make the calls regarding Venator’s movements and marks around the world. They are also the ones who have the power to find out any and all information regarding supernatural activity.’

So those are the bastards responsible for all the pain that has been inflicted on my family. What a bunch of—

‘And Cassius is one of them.’

‘What?! He’s one of the seven?’

He folds his arms. ‘Yes, but don’t look at me like that when you don’t know the whole story, Elena.’

My hand wraps around the mug tighter. ‘Well how do you want me react? You’re telling me that Cassius, your guardian, is responsible for the death of the women in my family? Of the attack on me four years ago?’

He shoots forward. ‘No. That wasn’t
him
. He wasn’t in that position at the time, you have to know that.’

I keep my mouth shut, stewing on this new information, but also wanting to hear him out.

‘Cassius raised me after my parents died. He was a close friend of my father’s. He didn’t have to take me in, but he did, raising me on his own. He had no other family, so it was unheard of in our order for a man to do that. That is the type of man he is, Elena. Despite your views, he is good.’

‘Good?’ I hiss. ‘Ordering the deaths of numerous living beings on a daily basis is not good, Julian.’

His cheek twitches. ‘You don’t know everything. You don’t know our world and what it means to be born into control. We don’t get choices. We don’t get to choose our own path.’

Resentment rears its ugly head. ‘Yeah, well neither did I. That doesn’t mean I go around killing people.’

He closes his eyes for a second. ‘I understand your pain, believe me. But I don’t want to argue with you, so if you’d prefer we can—’

‘No. I want to hear what you have to say.’

I need to hear it. After all these years this is my opportunity to learn more about my enemy, and to learn more about Julian. I can keep my opinions to myself for a while, or for a few minutes at least, surely?

He rests his arms against the table.
‘He raised me
to
be a good man, Elena. Taught me things others in my order would have no idea about. But everything in our lives is scrutinised and watched. There is no room for different. We are raised as soldiers, to follow orders, to not think for ourselves. Cassius did as he was told. He was a good soldier, but after my parents died something happened to him. He won’t talk about it, but there is something that changed him around that time.’

He shifts position, his leg rubbing against my own.

‘After he took me in he started to question things, to question our way of life. I remember one night these two guys came around to our house. An argument followed and there was a fight. Cassius was brought before the High Council. After that, he didn’t question them again, but he’s never been the same since. He was given the position of Dominus about three years ago and has been using it to help keep you safe.’

I take in everything he’s said and I know it’s the truth, I feel it, but I still have questions. ‘So he didn’t order you to hunt me?’

He grabs my hand, running his finger across the top in soft strokes. ‘No. He didn’t. That order came from another Dominus. One who has since…passed away.’

The way he says
passed away
makes me think that there is more to that story, but for now I leave it alone. I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not relieved he’s dead though. Bastard.

‘So after what happened four years ago did you tell him everything?’

He passes me a small smile. ‘Not right away. I disappeared for a while. I had to get my head straight, figure out what I was feeling. It took me a few months but then I rang him and told him everything. Not long after that he made Dominus, and since then he has been working with me to help keep you out of harm’s way.’

After what Julian’s just told me it makes more sense. Cassius loves him like his own, just like Uncle Jo loves me. They’re family, and if I understand anything it’s that family can be a powerful bond that forces you to make decisions and sacrifices that you wouldn’t normally make if you were just thinking about yourself.

Nodding my head I say, ‘I get it now. You’re family.’ He smiles and his fingers intertwine with mine. ‘What happens if he gets found out?’

Julian’s smile fades. ‘Then he dies.’

‘Just like that?’

‘Yep. Just like that.’

The thought of Julian losing the only family he has left brings on a pang of compassion, and I think about what he said earlier.

‘So you really think I should get my family out of here today?’

‘You have no other choice, Elena. They are your Achilles heel.

‘He’s right, Ellie.’ Uncle Jo walks into the kitchen and we both jump.