Bound (The Grandor Descendant Series Book 3) (44 page)

James was glaring at Ari, a look of disbelieving hatred plain on his face as he stared from the mark on Ari’s palm to the one on his own.

“Look,” said Ari, reaching for his hand desperately, hoping that like her, he might also have visions.

“No you look,” said James, and suddenly his eyes were dark, as if all previous trace of humanity had drained away. “I have tolerated you because your powers amused me. Clearly there is nothing special about you, other than a few simple parlour tricks.”

As James spoke, he was moving backwards, all the while keeping his eyes plastered on Ari. When he finally stopped, he was settled on the right side of Lace. He lifted his hand up and Ari gasped, as one by one the ancients unfroze.

“No wait,” said Ari, racing forwards. “They’ve tricked you; they killed our parents! They aren’t your family… I am! We have these powers because we are supposed to do the right thing. Protect the world. You have to believe me.”

“She lies,” hissed Lace, but there was a trace of fear behind her words.

In an instant Virgil had blurred behind Ari, reaching for her wrists and pulling them behind her back as he forced her onto her knees.

“Please,” Ari said, and when she looked up at James, her eyes were wide, though one remained blue while the other had turned a bright green. A single tear was rolling down her cheek and she reached out her hand imploringly to her brother. “Your powers mirror mine! Do you have visions? Touch my hand! You can see it all for yourself.”

“Kill her,” Lace said in a high cruel voice, and Ari felt the powerful hands of Virgil around her throat.

There was nothing Ari could say or do. Her hands flung to Virgil’s marbled fists and tried pathetically to prise them away but it was useless.

“Plea…” she tried to cry, but her words had failed her.

As her eyes began to blur in and out of focus, she looked down and saw the bracelet that Ragon had given her. The small silver letter
J
stood out; the symbol of her brother, twinkling at her almost lullingly. In an instant she had ripped it from her wrist and thrown it at James. With lighting reflexes he caught it. A second later and one of James’s eyes had turned blue, while the other remained green, and then everything went dark and Ari fell unconscious.

From the dark stretch of unconsciousness, Ari saw the same vision, played back in quick succession, but it did not end where it had before. Again she saw her mother but now she had changed. She was different, older, almost as if she had aged a lifetime in only a few short years. Ari’s father was next to her, their hands interlocking so that his golden wedding ring sat snugly next to hers. It was twilight and the pair pushed a stroller through a deserted pebbled street. As if sensing the imminent danger, the baby hiding beneath the pearl coloured blanket started crying. But it wasn’t the screams that warned Ari of what was about to come, her disbelieving eyes had rested on the baby’s blanket. It was the same blanket that the nuns at the grace Valley Orphanage had given her when she had been old enough to leave. It, along with the note that Ragon had left, was all that Ari had from her past, and as she stared down at the blanket covering the small child, she knew then that the vision she was having was of her own past. She was the baby crying beneath the blankets.

It happened in a second. There was no warning, no mercy, just the kill. Kiara lunged from the shadows. The attack was too fast for Ari to see Kiara’s face, but she knew from the long black hair that spilled around the vampire’s shoulders, that it was her. Ari’s father was killed first, in a single blow that knocked him far from the pram and onto the road. In an attempt to protect Ari, her mother had flung her body in front of the pram, as if willing her weight to be enough to shield its precious cargo. Kiara’s eyes were cat-like as she watched her, her head tilted as if such gestures of love were lost to her. With one hand Kiara grasped onto Ari’s mother’s throat and pulled her away from the pram. Ari’s mother fell backwards, her eyes locked onto Ari’s before they became large and round, and then lifeless.

And then another person appeared in her vision; it was Ragon.

“You think I would love you after this?” Ragon screamed, sweeping up the baby and keeping it as far away from Kiara as possible. “What? You steal some babe and think we can raise it together… that we would be a family?”

“Ragon,” Kiara hissed, her narrowed eyes settled on the child in his arms. “You can’t-”

“-you know nothing of love,” he said, racing past her and hitting her in the side of the face, before vanishing into the night, Ari still wrapped in his arms.

And again the scene changed. This time she was standing on familiar emerald grass, with a giant lake that stretched past as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the lake was the gnarled tree with its three distinct forms; the fates that ushered the dead beyond. Chris was by her side, as were her parents. They glowed golden like angels, and Ari heard her mother speak, just as she had before, but this time her sentence was not cut off by her disappearance.

“Mum, dad, please don’t leave me,” screamed Ari.

Ari watched her mother smile; she had not seen this smile last time. When she had lived this moment in real life, her eyes had been so filled with tears that she must have missed it.

“You are not alone,” said her mother, “you have a brother. When you find each other, you will know what to do.”

From her vision of the past, Ari heard Ragon’s voice in the present, loud and scared. Her eyes opened slowly, dragging her from her visions, and though she still felt Virgil’s hands clasped around her throat, she looked up, seeing him emerge from a door at the back of the room, closely followed by the rest of the coven, Lea and… Ryder! Ryder was here; he had come back for them; he had freed the coven from their cells.

But the shock of seeing the coven arrive had only delayed Virgil, soon his hands were tight around Ari’s throat and everything went dark again. This time no vision of the past came to Ari, only the blanket of empty darkness.        

Chapter 21- Blood Bond
              

Trapped in the darkness, Ari was certain she was dead. For a long while the blackness did not regress, and she remained locked in her mind, having just been forced to watch the events that had led to the murder of her parents and the realisation that her brother was not dead.

Ari,” she heard someone yell, but she was too far away to answer, still trapped in unconsciousness.

Then all of a sudden there was pain, and she felt her heart begin to beat inside her chest, bringing with it wave after wave of unrelenting agony and uncomfortable warmth. Her throat burned and for a while she remained like this, unable to move or scream as she wanted to, but stuck in an unconscious stupor of unbearable agony.

“Ari,” the voice said again, and this time Ari twitched.

With much difficulty, Ari forced her eyes to open. Everything was blurry and out of focus, and for a while she stared dumbly around, unable to see anything at all.  

“Ari, come back to me,” the voice next to her said, and she realised that it was Ragon who spoke.

“Ragon,” Ari mumbled, but her voice was incoherent and her throat burned like a volcano, spreading larva through her body and leaving her feeling as though she was on fire.

When finally the room was pulled into focus, Ari blinked in confusion. The rest of the coven was there and they were fighting against the Ancients. The vampires moved so fast that Ari could barely keep her eyes on them. One by one the members of the coven fell, only to hurriedly drag themselves back up, ready to fight again. And still there was the uncomfortable feeling of heat inside her, and it was uncontrollable, ready to break free at the slightest chance. In the corner of her eye she saw James. He had fallen to his knees, her small silver charm bracelet clutched in his hands. From the way he staggered to his feet, she wondered whether or not he had just had the same vision of their past, and she stared at him hopefully, desperately, willing him to believe her.

“She was telling the truth,” James said quietly, taking a few steps away from the Ancients.

Lace was fighting with Ryder and Clyde and looked up abruptly, staring in horror at James. Then she smiled, a mirthless wicked smile, and charged at Ryder, taking him by the neck and slamming his body against the floor. Before Clyde could stop her, Lace had brought her hand heavily down to Ryder’s chest, smashing it hard; so hard the floor beneath cracked under the pressure.   

“You’re either with us, or you’re with them… in death,” said Lace, looking down at Ryder’s body.

Ari screamed. Fighting past the pain of her swollen throat, she felt her eyes began to stream as they rested on Ryder. There was still an odd look of triumph on his face, but his eyes were no longer blue and vivid but cold and still… she knew, without really knowing how she knew, that he was dead. Ari looked away, forcing herself not to see the lifeless expression on her friend’s face. Ryder was gone, his life stolen by the vampires who had tried to take everything from her. And with this thought came heat, unbearable and yet comforting.  

“Run,” she screamed, her eyes fixed on Ragon in desperation, as her green and blue eyes closed momentarily, desperate to block out her deadly powers, fearful that she would hurt the people she loved.  

But there was no time, already she had begun to glow and then a moment later, burst into sunshine, as white hot light poured from her. All around there were screams of agony, and she watched in horror as both the Ancients and the coven fell to the ground, while Chris, Lea and Riley stood in shock, unaffected by the sun’s glow.

No she thought, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

And then James was next to her, his hand reaching for hers, as he concentrated on the coven. She felt the light burning inside her, just as strong as always, and yet there were shadows being cast from James, each falling over the different coven members, shielding them from her powers. The tears that spilled from her eyes were not enough to hide the relieved faces of Clyde, Tomas, Sandra and Ragon, and soon it was only the ancients who were screaming, as one by one they began to turn black.

“Traitor,” screamed Lace, her furious eyes set on James as she charged at him.

The moment her teeth sunk through James flesh, the small smile that had been on his face faded, just as his powers began to wane. But it was too late; already Ari’s powers had done their work. Next to James, Lace fell down, defeated by the sun. She was no longer flesh but stone, and she crumpled against the floor, like carbon under pressure. Joseph made to move towards his sister, his arms outstretched as though to reach for her, but his skin was peeling away, turning to ash as he crumpled into dust.

“NO!” Virgil screamed, and like his fallen brother and sister, he too began to disintegrate, until there was nothing left of him at all.

For a moment James looked to be unaffected, his hand which had held Ari’s moved to grasp at his neck, but then he fell to his knees, sending piles of ash, the remnants of Virgil, Joseph and Lace, up into the air. It was only when Ari looked down, that she realised a large puddle of blood was beginning to pool around James.     

In an instant Ari dropped to her knees. Her hand groped desperately for James wrists and neck, hoping, willing there to be a pulse, but there was not. She pulled her trembling fingers away. They were smeared with bright red blood and she stared at them in disbelief.   

“NO!” she cried, her head falling against James still chest as fresh tears spilled onto his clothes. “Jamie, Jamie, JAMIE!” Ari cried again and again.

She felt Ragon try to pull her away, but she clung onto her brother’s clothes tightly. How could she lose him now, after a life time of believing he was dead?

“Jamie?” Ragon asked, and then his eyes lit up, realising who James frater really was.

“He’s her brother?” asked Sandra, as she and the rest of the coven gathered around the pair.

“But then he was a Grandor Descendant too?” Lea asked in confusion, an awe-like glow now filling her eyes.

“He might turn,” Thomas said hopefully, but Ari shook her head.

“Vampire toxin doesn’t work on us the same way it works on mortals,” she said sadly. “Wait… Chris? You can fix him. You can bring him back.”

Chris, who had moved to where his father’s body lay, suddenly looked up. Slowly he shook his head.

“You have to. I know you can,” screamed Ari. “And Ryder… you can save Ryder too.”

“Ari, I can’t,” he said, his voice low and sad.

“What… what do you mean you can’t? Of course you can. You are a wraith!” she yelled.  

“I don’t, I don’t know how to,” Chris stammered, still shaking his head. “If I did, I, I would bring back my father but, but I don’t know how.”

Ari watched as a few salty tears dislodged from Chris’s eyes and fell onto the cloak of his father. She knew he was telling the truth but didn’t want to believe him. 

“Clyde,” Riley screamed, and Ari’s terrified face searched the rubble and ash for him also, fearful that he too had fallen at the Ancients hands.

“Riley!” Clyde yelled, and Ari looked up hopeful until she saw the look of horror on Clyde’s face.

Quickly Ari wheeled around. Riley had fallen to the ground, her hand pressed hard against her stomach, as she breathed quickly and then screamed again.

“The baby,” said Riley, her teeth clenched, “it’s coming… ahhh…. Now!”

Clyde raced to Riley’s side. He made to lift her but the effort of just trying to pick her up was too much for him, and he fell to the ground with her in his arms. Sandra had moved to their side also, gently whispering calming words to Riley, while Ragon and Thomas looked down in fear. Ari, unable to think of what else to do, grabbed Lea and the pair kneeled in front of Riley, taking on the role of delivery nurses.

“Just breathe,” said Ari, while next to her Lea whispered words of magic, which caused warm glowing lights to flourish and settle on Riley’s stomach.

These seemed to soothe Riley and Ari wondered if they were perhaps taking away the pain, maybe even acting like an epidural. Then Riley’s face contorted in pain, her hair suddenly dampened as sweat clung to her brow, and she screamed again and started pushing.    

Soon a new scream filled the room, followed shortly by crying, just as the glowing pearls of light left Riley’s stomach and traced their way to Riley’s baby. Ari held her breath as she delivered the first half-vampire, half-waere to the world in over a thousand years. Carefully she wrapped the crying baby in her coat. As she did so, Ari couldn’t help but glance over at Ryder, his still body contrasting drastically to the tiny bundle of joy she was now holding.

“It’s a girl,” said Ari.

Clyde was speechless. His mouth was open and his eyes were locked on the baby girl that Ari held.

“Is she alright?” asked Riley, when Ari had placed the tiny child into her arms.

Riley couldn’t seem to bring herself to look at the little bundle in her arms. There was sweat all over her face, meshed with tears, and she was shaking all over.

“She’s fine,” said Lea, leaning down to look at the miracle child, “she’s healthy and fine.”

When Riley finally looked down at her daughter, her face broke into a smile. One tiny hand reached to touch Riley on the face and instinctively Riley reached down to kiss the little fingertips.      

“Rya,” Clyde said slowly, his hand reaching out longingly as he stroked the little girl’s cheek adoringly. “We’ll call her Rya, after her uncle… Ryder.”

“Rya,” said Riley, nodding her head as she cradled the baby in her arms.

Despite the joy, Ari couldn’t help but feel isolated with sadness. Patrick wasn’t here to mourn Ryder, and Rya’s birth seemed to steal away from the gravity of his passing. Without really thinking, Ari felt herself moving away from the smiling faces, and settling over to where James and Ryder lay. She placed herself so that she sat between the two, and was oddly comforted by the absence of life, alone with her grief.

It was hard for her to look at either of their faces. They weren’t right, as if death had stolen something from them. She reached for Ryder first, placing her trembling hands over his eyelids as she closed them slowly. It was horrible staring at his lifeless blue eyes. They were the exact same colour as hers, and the reason why so many people had thought that they really were brother and sister when she had been fostered by his family, all those years ago. But she would never again see those bright eyes staring at her adoringly. She would never hear him call her muffin, or get to talk to him about boys. Without meaning to, large sobs escaped her, and she tried not to look over at the coven, afraid that they would hear her and try to comfort her.

But there could be no comfort for her loss. Ryder was the first person who she had loved, the first person to care for her. And he had lost his life being dragged into her crazy world. A sudden pang of guilt bit down on her; Ryder would still be alive if they hadn’t of reunited. He would have been better off without her. With this dreadful thought, she brushed his brown hair away from his face, placing it to the side as he normally wore it in life.