Awakening (36 page)

Celeste’s mouth opened at his good-natured insult. Grabbing the pillow she had been resting on, she threw it at him, laughing as it hit him. “Thanks for that, I think.”

Holding the pillow to his chest, Auberon shrugged, “If I accompany her, then I will be able to protect her while making it known that she is my… pet.”

“Pet?” Again, her eyebrow went up at his choice of words.

Adam closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off the headache his brother and his Queen were giving him. “I don’t like it.”

“It’s not for you to like or not like,” Auberon said, coming to his feet, still holding the pillow. “You know that it is for the best
. Promise us that none of this will touch you; she’ll need your strength when this all blows up and you know that it will.

“I will accompany Celeste to the office
for a few days and help her discover anything that might prove helpful,” Auberon continued. “You are going to continue going to the meetings and pretending that the
Apocritae
world hasn’t been flipped onto its head. Remember, you know nothing.

"We can reevaluate our strategy in a week.
”

“Celeste,” her father’s gravelly voice reached her as she walked through the doors of BioGenesis a few days later. For nearly a week she had been going to work without incident and while Adam continued performing his role in the Council to perfection, Auberon had become her shadow. He made a point of casually touching her at all times, especially when he sensed the presence of any supernatural beings close by.

Not to be out
done, Kim remained glued to Celeste’s other side, the angelic personality refusing to budge even a little to let Kim shine through. She was wary of anyone who approached Celeste, so when her father called out her name, Kim stepped in front of her, shielding her from her own father.

With a scowl, she stepped out from behind Kim, her lips easing into a smile when she saw her father approach.
Surprised by his uncharacteristic behavior, Celeste held out her hand in greeting, “Father.”

“Celeste,” Stephen repeated, crossing the atrium and coming to a halt in front of the girl
, shooting a disgruntled look at Kim and a venomous look at Auberon. He forced his lips upward and cleared his throat but he couldn’t quite meet her eyes, “Could I have a moment of your time?”

"Of course," she readily agreed, her heart fluttering in her chest that he was reaching out to her. Sh
e began to follow him until he stopped and glared at Auberon as he followed as well. It bothered her that her father disliked Auberon simply because he was an
Apocritum
but she supposed she understood; most people were leery around the
Apocritae
.

Gruffly, glaring at
Auberon, he sneered, “Alone.”

“Of course,” she murmured,
eager to learn what her father wanted to speak with her about. Placing a hand on Auberon’s chest, she looked at him and offered a slight smile, “Meet me back in the library and while you wait see if you can find any more writings regarding the Neolithic Era. That seems to be where we are having the most luck.”

He smiled down at her, covering her small hand with his, “I’d rather wait until you were with me.”

Her lashes lowered and she blushed at the innuendo, even though she knew he was doing it for the benefit of those around them. “Ask Jon to help you; he’s really good at finding archaic information.”

“As you wish,” he murmured, bending his head and placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. Holding her eyes, he softly promised, “I’ll count the minutes until you return.”

She bit back a smile as he turned to the right and headed for the stairs that would lead down to the library while her father led her towards his lab. She wasn’t surprised to find that Kim had refused to leave her side; apparently her father wasn’t bothered by her best friend’s presence.

Quietly, they made their way through the building, turning down an unfamiliar hall. Celeste felt Kim move closer, almost as if in preparation. “Father, where are we going?”

“Someplace where we can talk,” Stephen answered without looking at the girl, his pulse beating rapidly in his throat. A bead of sweat trailed from his temple and he nervously wiped it away with the back of his hand. Celeste saw that his hand trembled and her belly tightened in apprehension.

“I do not trust him, my beloved,” Kim whispered in her ear, her body tense with unease.

Celeste’s lips quirked upwards at her friend’s dire tone but her own misgivings were not helping. Looking at Kim, she tried to smile reassuringly, “He’s my dad, Kim.”

“I do not trust him,” she repeated gravely.

Remembering that Kim wasn’t the same person she was just a few days ago, Celeste came to a halt. Perhaps it would be wise to listen to her friend, her Guardian. ”Maybe you’re right.”

“Come, my beloved,” Kim said, wrapping her hand around Celeste’s elbow to lead her away. “I will return you to
your
Apocritum
.”

Before they could take even a single step, the hallway filled with
Apocritae
, their black eyes glistening in the light as they converged on the angel and the inexperienced Queen. She watched in horror as Kim was bashed over the head and the her body crumbled to the floor. That was too easy; wasn’t a Guardian Angel supposed to be able to withstand more?

“
Kim.” Her voice was barely there as she realized she was a fool; she never suspected her father could do such a thing. But, maybe her Guardian Angel was wrong, maybe her dad hadn't planned this ambush….

"Forgive me, child," her father rasped as the
Apocritae
descended upon her.

Celeste tried to fight but there were too many of them and she couldn’t figure out how to get her power to work; she didn’t even know if there was anything she could do to fight
off so many. As slender arms of steel wrapped around her arms, her chest, lifting her off the ground she jerked her head around and glared at her father, “Why?”

He didn’t
answer, instead he stepped forward and pulled out a wicked looking syringe. “Father, no!”

“I have no choice,” he muttered, jabbing the needle into her neck and drawing out a vial full of blood. His eyes met hers and she saw the depths of his betrayal in them. “I’m not sorry, Celeste; it’s the only way to save her.”

“Father,” she said softly, her eyes filling with tears as he turned away and melted into the group as the moved through the corridors. Frantic, she looked at the
Apocritae
who held her in their arms, desperate to find a sympathetic expression, anything that might give her hope. They were all so unnaturally beautiful, with sleek bodies and cold eyes, dressed in the finest silks.

A pair of unusual, not quite all black eyes met hers and she shivered
. Adam was right: the
Apocritum
were a cold race. Although, there was something about the one that was staring at her, something…. “Your eyes.”

He glared at her with such venom
she recoiled, “You would have us destroyed.”

She shook her head no, desperate to have him believe her, “I wouldn’t, I swear.”

He bent his head, swiping his tongue along the blood that trickled down her neck. Lifting his chin, he closed his eyes in ecstasy as the ripe, rich blood moved down his throat. “Yes, you would. We are not of your blood, you would have no choice.”

“There is always a choice,” she whispered hoarsely, twisting her body to try to break their hold on her. Despite their slender forms, they were
exceptionally strong.

His finger reached out and traced the length of her vein as he smiled knowingly, “No, there is not; not always. I am but a servant; there for my Queen’s pleasure and that is all.”

Motioning his head to someone behind her, he turned on his heel and walked away, but not before she saw that more white surrounded the black irises. She was going to call him back and ask him what he meant but a foul smelling rag was placed over her nose and mouth. As much as she fought, she knew it was futile. Moments before falling into darkness, her last thoughts were of Adam and Auberon, praying they would not be punished,

*****

Stephen followed the small group through the corridors, seeing the limp body of his daughter. He fervently held onto the vial of Celeste’s blood, knowing that it was all going to be worth it. Gloria never should have traded her life for the child’s; she should have lived, damn it. And now, she was finally going to get her life back, thanks to the child for whom she gave up everything. He just had to ignore the guilt that ate at his gut.

The Queen was waiting for them as they walked through the doors to her chamber, the tension radiated from her slender, lethal body. Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared as her gaze moved over the unconscious brunette, “Is that her?”

“Yes, my Queen,” one of the
Apocritae
answered, falling to his knees in supplication as the others carried the body over to a table that had been prepared for the girl’s arrival. Stephen watched with detached horror as they strapped Celeste to the hard table, binding her with metal chains that would bite into her delicate skin if she tried to struggle.

Lifting his chin a notch, he faced the Queen but she
ignored him and moved towards her prisoner. He watched as she slowly walked around her prisoner, the rage oozing from every pore in her body as she glared down at Celeste. She ran a long, red talon across Celeste’s cheek, down the front of her body, letting her hand come to a rest on Celeste’s stomach. The Queen drew her hand back with a sharp hiss as her head shot up and her black eyes blazed in rage. “She is with child.”

Stephen staggered under the weight of that news; he was going to be a grandfather…. Tightening his jaw, he could not let that
unfortunate fact affect him. But if that were true, that meant Celeste wasn’t the wrinkle; it was….

“The baby
,” a deep, silky smooth voice murmured from the hallway. Stephen turned and saw Adam standing in the door, his black eyes focused on the Queen. “The baby is the wrinkle, not the girl.”

*****

As soon as he felt the excitement buzzing in the
Apocritae
, Auberon exchanged a look with Adam and they knew the shit had hit the fan; somehow the Queen had discovered Celeste. Both moved towards the door but his brother was quicker and so Adam’s back was turned when Auberon swung the chair with all of his might. He had hit Adam’s head, knocking his brother out. He knew that Adam wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done and everything that they had worked so hard for would be lost.

Changing into a suit, he
locked Adam in the room and quickly made his way to his Mother’s chambers. He nearly died when he saw Celeste bound to the metal table but he forced all emotion from his face before he made his presence known.

“The baby is the wrinkl
e, not the girl,” he said easily, his guts clawing through his flesh from the inside. He pushed off the door and walked into the room, careful to never let his eyes drift to Celeste. Holding his Mother’s gaze, he spoke calmly, confidently, hoping this huge gamble worked. “Take the child and the threat will be eliminated.”

“If I destroy the girl I destroy the child,” the Queen returned, gliding across the room to stand before her beloved son.
She caressed his smooth cheek and smiled at him.

“Mother,” Auberon smiled indulgently, even as his skin crawled beneath her touch. “You know that my brother has been feeling restless these past years
. If you offer the girl as a token of good will he will return to the fold.”

Her shiny, black eyes narrowed slightly as she considered
his words. After a moment, she sneered and shook her head, “No.”

“Mother,” Auberon’s voice flowed with charm as he took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her fingers. “
He already struggles with the shackles placed upon him. If you destroy his favorite pet, he will not forgive you.”