Blood Solstice: Part Three in the Tale of Lunarmorte (10 page)

Caia
stared back stonily. “Neither am I. So let’s move.”

7 –
Ambushed

Birds
twittered and squawked in the trees, insects buzzed around her
ears, and the wind rustled every piece of foliage its fingers
brushed against. Her pounding heart provided the back drumbeat to
their musical surroundings and as her pale hair got caught gently
in the breeze Caia was sure the guards surrounding Lucien’s must be
able to hear and see them hiding in the sullen cover of the woods.
She glanced back at Laila and Vil who had refused to be left alone
at Ryder’s apartment. Caia had given into their wishes because she
was sure she may need Vil at some point. For now, however, she had
them hiding behind a couple of trees, further back from herself and
Jaeden.

“
Where is he?” Jae hissed, her hands clenched into
fists.

Caia
raised a finger to her lips to shush her, her eyes telling her to
be patient.

“
It’s done.”

They both
jumped, startled, and turned to find Reuben inches from Caia. She
stepped back, uncomfortable with his nearness. The guy was possibly
the most unnerving person she had ever met. By ‘it’s done’, they
both knew Reuben meant he had successfully manipulated each of the
five guards’ trace, so that if Marita tapped in to see if
everything was alright, she would find nothing but a mixture of
bored thoughts and loyal determination to do a good job. Moreover,
he was masking the trace of the entire pack so Marita would think
they were still under guard. Caia almost shuddered in apprehension
at the thought of the vampyre’s seemingly unlimited
abilities.

“
OK.” Caia nodded, drawing a breath. “Are we
ready?”

After a
successful attack on Midnight magiks in similar surroundings a few
weeks ago, Caia had assumed her nerves over going into battle again
would be few, but it seemed she still had enough butterflies in her
to open a riotous farm. Jae nodded militantly and quickly began to
strip. Reuben was watching her avidly. Rolling her eyes Caia
reached up and grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look away.
He grinned unabashed, and turned his attention to her face. She
tried not to squirm under his penetrating gaze but she would give
anything to know what was going on in the vampyre’s mind. At the
cracking of bones Caia felt a rush of unexpected envy. She used to
love the feel of the change, the burning, the breaking and bending.
Now she changed so fast all she ever felt was a quick flush of hot
energy. It left her with that irritating feeling one has when your
back aches and you know if you could just crack it you would be
satisfied.

Something
wet touched her hand and she looked down to see Jae nuzzling her
nose into her open palm. Caia smiled reassuringly down at her and
gave her the nod. Wolf Jae turned in an instant and was rushing
through the woods in a blur. They heard the distant cry of two
guards, and they were off. She wasn’t as fast on two legs as she
was on four, but she was faster than the average human. Reuben… was
a streak of movement. Caia knew he was heading for the magik
guarding the back porch. As she raced around the edge of the house
she saw he had a hold of the magik by the neck. A loud sickening
crack reached her ears. Oh my. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly
and then forced her flight to the front of the house to the
driveway to confront the two magiks Jaeden was momentarily
distracting. Their cries had alerted the other two guards and they
were heading towards them from opposite ends of the grounds.
Pushing away any gentle feelings, Caia pressed her magik into the
approaching guards’ lungs and they both collapsed, clutching their
chests as water filled their airways. Seeing the downing of their
comrades the other magiks turned on Caia. Jaeden took that moment
of distraction to lunge at the one closest to her.

Flooring
him, she swiped at his face with her claws, eliciting a piercing
scream of agony that was quietly culled by her jaws as they clamped
on to his throat. The other warlock seemed to hesitate, deciding
whether to save his friend or deal with Caia. His decision was made
in seconds and he turned on Caia. She threw up a shield to stop
whatever energy he was pushing her way. His face mottled red with
determination, his black eyes blazing with fury. A blur shot past
the two magiks she had suffocated and came to an abrupt stop behind
the one trying to get past her shield with what she was sure was
air magik. The blur cleared into Reuben and his large hands gripped
the warlock’s head before giving a forceful tug that removed it
from his body. Caia watched in horror as his body fell away from
the vampyre in a loud thump across the gravel. Reuben sneered and
let the head roll from his hands to land in the bloody pool that
oozed from his victim’s decapitated corpse. It was only as he
turned to look down at Jaeden that Caia remembered her. Jae was
hacking up the blood of her own victim and Caia knew all too well
how disgusting the taste and feel of death was.

“
So what now?” Caia gestured a little shakily to them. “Marita
wouldn’t have felt the attack but won’t she feel their deaths…
won’t it be like… white noise?” She felt a little stupid for not
having thought that part through… well more than a
little
stupid
really.

Reuben’s
lips twisted as if he were insulted by the mere suggestion that he
would have been idiotic enough to not have thought every second of
the attack out. “The manipulation can last past death as long as
something of their physical body remains.”

She shook
her head in amazement. “If Marita ever knew of your existence you
would be enemy No.1, you know that right?”

He
snorted. “Caia, she does know of my existence, she would just
prefer to believe I am merely a legend, a myth… makes it easier to
sleep at night.”

“
If you’re so powerful why haven’t you taken over years
ago?”

Reuben
laughed, his eyes glittering darkly. “This really isn’t the time
for that discussion. But the short answer is… I’m just not
interested.”

Giving a
huff of laughter Caia strode past him, stroking her fingers through
Jae’s pelt in comfort as she passed her and into the
house.

“
Caia!” She heard Magnus yell. He’d obviously detected her
scent amidst the sounds of the disturbance outside. The thundering
of feet could be heard from all over the house as people rushed to
the entrance.

Magnus
was the first to reach her and she was dragged into the most
crushing hug ever. She felt his lips in her hair and the shudder of
his relief, and as she breathed in his familiar scent Caia felt a
rush of painful affection. Marion. She had been one of Magnus’
closest friends. She would have to break the news to
him.

“
Uncle Magnus.” She burrowed deeper into his chest.

The
exclamations of the pack got louder as Jaeden and Reuben entered.
Caia managed to pull back a little from her uncle’s tight grip to
see Dimitri and Julia hovering over Jaeden, aghast at the blood on
her muzzle. Christian and Lucia stood close by, clinging to one
another, grief over the kidnap of their toddler tightening their
features.

“
Caia!” She felt herself being yanked out of Magnus’ arms and
into Irini’s. At the feel of her sister-in-law’s trembling Caia
felt a rush of emotion she wasn’t expecting. All the years Irini
had looked after her, Caia had wondered if the lykan had resented
her existence. But her tight hug, and the way she pulled back to
brush the hair from Caia’s face, told her something she had missed
all this time. Irini cared for her, truly and deeply. She smiled
tremulously, not sure if she could handle any more sentimental
outbursts.

“
We were so worried,” Irini whispered, her eyes bright with
unshed tears. Aidan stood by her side, his hand on her shoulder.
“Lucien was… I’ve never seen him so…”

Caia
blanched. “He must be thinking the worst.”

“
Caia, he’s been taken,” Aidan announced, causing the riot in
the hallway to dissipate. “So have Ryder and the
children-”

“
I know.” She nodded, turning to look at them all.

She
didn’t have a chance to say anything more before she was crushed in
Ella’s arms. “Caia, I am so sorry,” the words tumbled out of
Lucien’s mother’s mouth in an incredible rush of remorse. “You were
right about Marita and everything and we-”

“
Yeah, we’re so sorry-”

“
Can you-”

A gamut
of feelings and apologies engulfed her as the pack urged her to
forgive them for not believing her about Marita. She tried shushing
them, but it was to no avail. They were determined to have their
say and they were far louder than her.

“
Quiet.” The vampyre didn’t raise his voice but the word had
the same effect on the pack as it had had on the others earlier.
They puttered to a stop and then stared sullenly at him.

“
You remember Reuben?” She asked wryly.

He nodded
‘hello’.

“
I know about the kidnapping.” Caia turned to the pack. “I
know about everything.”

8 –
Alpha

As Magnus
excused himself hoarsely, Caia’s eyes followed his tall figure as
it lurched out of the kitchen and onto the porch, disappearing down
into the garden and into the woods. Ella and the pack stared after
him solemnly whilst Caia fought the Marion-shaped lump of grief at
the back of her throat. At the sound of Magnus’ harsh howl in the
distance she stumbled back from the gathering and turned to hurry
upstairs and into the room she shared with Lucien.

Spotting
Lucien’s shirt strewn across the sofa in the corner Caia rushed for
it, pressing the fabric to her face so that his scent flooded her
nostrils. She promptly burst into harrowing sobs and collapsed on
the sofa. As she struggled with the effort to breathe through the
burning agony clutching her throat, she wished more than anything
that Lucien was here with her, to help her get through this. There
had always been the chance that once her war with Marita had begun
Caia would have lost Marion anyway. But at least she would have
been alive and thriving, helping to keep the Coven tempered with
her goodness. Now to exist in a world where there was no Marion was
to exist in a world without light. And more than ever Caia needed
that light.

A cool
hand clasped her shoulder eliciting a sharp thump from her heart.
She looked up to see Reuben staring down at her kindly. There
wasn’t even enough time to be surprised by the concern in his eyes
before she was pulled out of her seat and enfolded in his arms.
Shocked at his display of sympathy, of solicitude, she tensed
against him. He merely tightened his hold and pressed her head
against his chest, soothing her with quiet words.

“
You’re allowed to cry, Caia. She meant a great deal to you,
to everyone. In this war you will see a lot of death, and feel much
grief, but you have to
let
yourself feel it. If you stop allowing yourself
to, you will start to stop caring about why you are fighting this
war in the first place.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I
know I seem ruthless… and I can be sometimes… but I still care. I
need to.”

Tears had
begun rolling quietly down her cheeks as he spoke, and as his voice
faded to silence she could no longer stop, burrowing her head
deeper into his chest and soaking his shirt with her salty,
uncontrolled sorrow. When at last she had quietened and stopped
shuddering with the force of her emotions, reality intruded and
Caia pulled back from him, instantly uncomfortable with her
outburst. And as her gaze locked onto his dark, unfathomable eyes
wariness sprang between them. Caia was frightened by her need to
trust him and he seemed unnerved by the idea that he might just
trust her.

“
I’m sorry,” she apologised shakily.

Reuben
sighed and she felt him brush her hair back from her face. “It’s
OK. You needed to do that in order to get on with the rest of
today.”

She
nodded, her eyes glued to the floor. “We should go to Alfred
Doukas’ home,” she referred to the Council member she was
acquainted with. “Enlist his family and get them to organise the
others.”

“
Vil can take you to them. Meanwhile, I think we should hurry
this along.”

She
looked up at him now, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “What did
you have in mind?”

“
I’m going to call on Vanne. He and I are going to the
MacLachlan’s whilst you deal with the Council. With Vanne’s help
I’ll be able to convince Alistair MacLachlan and his daughter to
join us. We should arrange a time for us all to meet at the
portal.”

Caia
frowned. “Can Vanne get away from Marita without raising
suspicions?”

The
vampyre chuckled. “Of course. When I whistle he comes running. End
of story.”

She
guffawed, “You really are sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“
I’ve had over two thousand years to perfect arrogance and
acquire a solid arsenal of diverse weaponry to support that
arrogance.”

Before
she could mock his cockiness, the door to the room blasted open and
Jaeden strode in, now in human form and fully clothed. She curled
her lip at the sight of Reuben and turned her attention and respect
to Caia.