Lailah (The Styclar Saga) (8 page)

“Yes, but there are two Pureblood Masters not very far from here. I think I’d feel more comfortable if we went transatlantic.”

“Cessie, we have a very secure property in Hedgerley. We live on the outskirts of the community. It’s very safe, I promise you. We’ll stay as long as we can before we move on. We can go to the States or Canada next if you still want to. Honestly, while we try to sort all this out, it’s better for us to be somewhere we’re already established—a place we know is as safe as possible. Trust me.” Gabriel calmed me.

Gazing back at him, I faltered. “You called me Cessie.”

“If that’s what you prefer,” he said, but it felt reluctant.

“And where will I live?” I asked.

“With us of course,” Gabriel replied, flashing a cautious smile at me.

“It’ll be nice to have another female around the place,” Jonah joked, grinning cheekily as he watched my reaction in the rearview mirror.

“And the other Vampires?” I still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of the others, and having to exist so closely with them.

“They won’t hurt you. I promise,” Gabriel reassured me.

I considered the idea and finally nodded in acceptance. I needed to be around Gabriel; he had filled my dreams for as long as I could remember and now I was with him. And, however odd, this was a family of sorts, and it was the best offer that had ever been extended to me.

“You should rest. We have a few hundred miles to go yet. And your shoulder must be killing you,” Jonah suggested.

I looked to Gabriel, arching my eyebrows; he knew what I was thinking.

Don’t say anything about that just yet, just for a while, especially now he knows you have visions.

“That’s a good idea,” Gabriel agreed. He reached for a blanket and began wrapping it around me so that I was warm and snug. His hand ever so slightly brushed the bottom of my bare neck and a tingle stirred through me. “Try to sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.” Gabriel gently moved the stray blond hairs that had cascaded onto my forehead behind my ears and smiled.

As I closed my eyes, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted. Gabriel was willing me to feel comfortable with the idea of living with these Second Generation Vampires. Yet at the same time, he sent me thoughts of warning about revealing too much about myself to Jonah. The only Vampire I might trust.

Strange,
I mused, as I forced my eyelids shut.

FIVE

I
COULDN’T SLEEP;
adrenaline was pumping through me. I cast my mind back to the events that had unfolded over the last few days.

Here I was, going about my existence, pulling pints in a quaint little pub in the middle of nowhere, and now? Well, it seemed meeting Jonah had knocked my everyday life over. And Gabriel. I couldn’t believe I had found him—the leading man in all my dreams, my memories, finally in the flesh. And an Angel no less. Although I suppose it made sense; if creatures like Vampires roamed the Earth then pure beings must, too.

I wondered why Gabriel was here, why he had come in the first place, how it was that we came to know each other, and why he had left me. I desperately needed answers. There was so much I didn’t understand.

My body stiffened as the thought occurred to me: Can he hear what I’m thinking? I gently raised one eyelid, just enough to peek out and observe Gabriel scrolling through an iPhone. Very modern for an Angel. He didn’t seem to be reading my mind; if he was, he was doing a good job of hiding it.

I thought you were sleeping?

The words somehow formed in my consciousness, swirling around my mind. Embarrassed, I flicked my gaze back down. The sounds of the road and the car disappeared into the background and finally ceased altogether. I let the silence engulf me. It was like I was in a tunnel, sealed off from the rest of the world.

Can you hear my thoughts anytime you want?
I concentrated on my question, trying not to conjure anything else that he might be attuned to.

I’m not entirely sure why we can speak to each other like this in the first place.… Only Angel Pa
— His sentence stopped abruptly, but I was still captured in the tunnel. The link hadn’t broken.

Only Angel what?

He hesitated before he answered.
We obviously have a connection; something special.

I fluttered my eyes open to try and read his expression. Confusion sat at the center of his dipping eyebrows. I quickly closed them shut again before he saw.

We can’t read each other’s minds. We’re in sync somehow. I can call to you and you can respond if you are open to it. Or you can block me.

I have to want to hear you and vice versa?
I asked.

I think so. Not “want” though; I think more willing and able.
His response was fast, like he knew the rules of this game.

Can you see what I see? If I think of a memory or an image, can I invite you in?

I don’t know.

Hmm. Maybe he hadn’t played this game before after all.

I started to picture the memory I’d seen in Gabriel’s presence over the lemonade. The two of us together, having a picnic—a relatively inoffensive image to test the theory on. As I recalled the scene as best I could, I felt Gabriel somehow. I knew right away that he was seeing it too.

Rather than showing him a picture in my mind like a postcard, I presented him with the memory. The sweet clove scent of the white dianthus and the fresh fragrance of the crisp, green grass surrounding us … We looked so happy. But as the glasses clinked something strange happened.

I found myself observing the memory from Gabriel’s perspective. I calmed myself for a second. He remembered it too after all; he had been there. I was still watching, but the emotions that rushed through me were not my own; they were his. It was the strangest sensation. I didn’t get any feeling of happiness. I felt a bubbling of dread instead. Did Gabriel not like me? Was he pretending to? Flashes of still images started to devour the scene. They didn’t belong to me.

Instead, extracts of Gabriel’s memory started falling through. Another being, with feathered wings, glowing. The clips came swiftly tumbling out, one after the other. A crystal. It sparkled, dazzling me. A barn, with a pool of blood running toward an entrance.

The last picture startled me and I could feel Gabriel pulling away, trying to let go. But I wanted to see inside, to relive the scene the way he had. I held on to the memory as the blood trickled, gathering into a small pool. I felt his fear flow through me and I watched him desperately running to the open door. I resisted Gabriel’s attempts to disconnect, but it was nearly impossible. Just as he was on the verge of reaching the wooden doorframe, the connection broke. I felt sick.

“Stop the car!” I shouted at Jonah, who remained oblivious to what we had been doing.

My request barked like an order. Being used to following such a demand without question meant that he abided without faltering. I didn’t even glance at Gabriel. Unfastening my seat belt, I flung open the passenger door. I then dropped to my knees and threw up into the brambles nestling next to the concrete of the hard shoulder.

It took a few minutes for the world to seem steady around me again, and once more the thunder of the cars flying past—exceeding the seventy-miles-per-hour speed limit—unsettled my hearing.

Jonah remained in the driver’s seat. Self-consciously, I wiped the bile from around my mouth with the sleeve of my borrowed cardigan. This Brooke girl was going to hate me; I had ruined most of the clothes she’d lent me within a couple of hours of wearing them. An outstretched hand appeared in my peripheral vision, holding out a bottle of water. I took it and swilled my mouth out. Attractive.

I turned my head to address him. “Why did you stop me?” I asked, not sure whether to adopt an annoyed tone or to feel guilty for invading a part of his memory that he didn’t want to share. Damn it. Guilt prevailed.

“Not yet,” he said.

He stooped behind me, stroking my back in a steady circular motion.

I didn’t like this; I didn’t like any of it. So much for a knight in shining armor! Vampires are scary, yes. Pureblood Masters, terrifying. But Gabriel was supposed to be … well, I didn’t know, but definitely the good guy, thank you very much. What was he hiding? Perhaps I was better off on my own. Doubt spiraled around my mind uncontrollably. I was missing far too many pieces of the puzzle—a puzzle that right now I couldn’t see being completed anytime soon. But Gabriel was an Angel. How could he be anything but honorable? I switched my train of thought: Maybe I had done something; maybe I had pushed him away, long ago?

“I felt what you felt. You were so angry. What did I do to make you hate me?” The question rolled off my tongue before I could stop it.

He paused for a second, staying still. Then I felt him lean in, lingering contemplatively, his mouth close to the top of my neck. His breath tickled my skin and I got goose bumps. “My anger was not directed at you, Lai,” he said softly.

I was hoping for a bit more, but … Lai. Lailah. It hit me fast and hard. That was who he had known me as.

That had been my name. My first name. The only name. How had I forgotten it?

My eyes widened in recognition and began to fill, threatening to spill over. Everything about that name felt warm and inviting; happy. I had to catch my breath—I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.

He moved his arm around my back and took my hand in his own, sliding his fingers in between mine, and squeezed. “Not yet,” he repeated. His words washed over me like a wave breaking gently onto the shore, cleansing any debris and rendering it innocent once more.

He released my hand and I found my feet, twisting to face him. I strained my neck to explore his expression. He stood tall and I was average height, some five inches shorter. I simply nodded in acceptance. There were no words. I stepped back into the car.

I buckled myself in, and this time Gabriel retreated to the passenger seat next to Jonah. I slammed the door shut.

“That was some good hurling, Cessie! I’ll try to make the rest of the journey a little less bumpy.” Jonah winked at me in the rearview mirror, reminding me again that he could see my every expression. So I exchanged the bewildered look for a chirpy smile and a halfhearted laugh; it was the best I could muster.

The rest of the journey went quickly. I sat tentatively letting go of any thoughts for a while, simply observing the scenery as we sped past the traffic, eventually turning off the highway at an exit marked
BEACONSFIELD
. We moved across the roundabout, passing a sign stamped
HEDGERLEY
. It was quite a contrast when soon we were accelerating down a twisting country road, passing an old-fashioned white pub and cute terraced cottages with picket fences.

A lot of the buildings were clustered together; even the bigger detached properties were but a stone’s throw away from the next. We zipped by them, until there was nothing on either side but woodlands. Jonah finally turned left and drove up a ridiculously long gated driveway, taking several minutes to reach the front of the house. It was spectacular.

The property was incredibly old, with beautiful traditional features. The front door itself was styled like an old church entrance and made from dark, sturdy oak; very grand indeed. There were several garages to the left-hand side and I counted seven windows on the face of the ground floor alone.

The engine cut and within a moment Jonah had opened my door and was extending his hand to help me out.

“This place is huge,” I mumbled, overwhelmed, taking his hand and stepping out of the Range Rover. “Is this really yours?” I asked Gabriel in disbelief.

Gabriel stepped next to me, placing his hand affectionately on my back, and said, “Yes, and now yours.”

We made our way inside. I followed Jonah’s lead as he opened the door, walking into the huge hallway that extended maybe thirty feet ahead; solid hardwood ran throughout. I pushed my hair behind my ears nervously as I stepped inside, slowly absorbing it all.

“Oh, good, you’re back, love!” a sweet voice chirped from the room at the far end of the hallway. She flashed toward us and I shifted uncomfortably. A Vampire. Of course. I knew they would be here, but it was still strange to see.

She swept past me as if I didn’t exist and moved into a lingering hug with Gabriel, kissing him softly on the cheek. I couldn’t help but furrow my brow, a surge of jealousy racing through me.

I looked to Jonah on my right, who rolled his eyes in reply. “Hanora, this is Cessie.” Jonah forced the introduction.

She didn’t move right away, but Gabriel took her arms from around his shoulders and turned her to face me. She was immaculate. Standing tall and slender at an easy five feet eight inches, her long dark brown hair cascaded in loose waves past her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright green with flecks of yellow, her skin was white as snow, and her face was perfectly symmetrical. She couldn’t have been more than twenty in human years, but she made me feel like a disheveled child by comparison.

She eyed me, judging, instantly turning her pretty button nose up. “Nice to meet you, Cessie,” she said with a smooth Irish accent. With a crooked smile, she extended a hand for me to shake.

I took it politely and returned the smile with a sarcastic one of my own. “It’s Francesca, actually.”

Our hands parted and Jonah coughed a little awkwardly.

“Jonah, why don’t you give Cessie a tour of the grounds?” Gabriel asked.

I felt immediately rejected.

“Come on, we can start with the gardens out back,” Jonah agreed, eagerly whisking me off down the hallway through an oversized eat-in kitchen and through a back door. It occurred to me that the kitchen was a pretty redundant room in this house.

“He wanted me out of the way,” I huffed to Jonah as I bumbled over the decking and past the outside seating area covered with a canopy. My mind was in overdrive once again. I was expecting Vampires, but I wasn’t prepared for a beautiful Irish one to drape herself all over Gabriel as soon as we walked in the door.