Captured Sun (16 page)

"It will have to do," Mathias said.

"Then shall we dispense with the niceties and get on with it?"

"Of course." Mathias dropped into a defensive crouch and crooked a finger at Braden's father. "Come for me, Azael."

I couldn't see who moved first, but suddenly the battle began. The rain that had threatened all morning broke over the battle field as though God wept at the clash between one who had once been beloved of him and those who fought for their families. I squinted through the sheets of falling rain, unable to see clearly. The roars of the panthers and the screaming battle cries of the demons made my head thump sickly. I inched toward the battle field, knowing that a demon could easily slip past me in the torrential downpour.

What I saw when the rain lessened enough for me to see more than a few feet in front of my nose was literally something out of the depths of hell. Every panther fought against three and four of Azael's minions. There were limbs strewn across the sand, but losing a limb didn't seem to slow down the minions. Mathias and Azael circled each other, dashing in to engage before retreating to allow the damage done by the other to heal. The scream of a panther pulled my attention and I saw one of the cats go down under a pile of minions. I watched, sick horror rising in my gut, as dark blood stained the sand.

"Help us," I prayed. "Please God, I know you can hear me. Is Azael not one of your own fallen angels? Do you not know what he is doing? What he is capable of? You have to help us!" I screamed the last before pulling out the blessed blade Elise had given me and heading for the first group of minions who surrounded a panther.

"Mairin, no!" Kerry screamed, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't let evil win. What kind of God would allow this to happen? Every panther on this field, and the vampire who held my heart, had done nothing but protect me and other humans. Only the twisted morals of a being as evil as Azael would see these actions as something requiring vengeance. Azael's desire to see those who had done little more than embarrass his son die for their actions spoke quite clearly to where Braden's own evil tendencies came from.

I swung the blessed blade and felt it sink deep into the flesh of the minion who turned on me. Behind it, I could see the panther it had been fighting gain its feet and tear into the other minions who still surrounded it. I continued to swing the blade blindly. I had no thought other than to delay this minion until the panthers could get an advantage of some sort.

When the minion before me suddenly split in two, I thought I had caught a lucky blow. It took several heartbeats before I realized the olive-skinned vampire from Serina's castle guard held the minion's halves in his hands. He tore the head from the body and then grabbed the next closest minion. When the minion had joined its comrade on the sand, the vampire dove into the rest of the battle without hesitation.

I stumbled back, sitting down hard in the sand and trying to absorb the scene I now saw on the beach. Pale men with pulsing dark gold auras ripped into the minions, shredding them and tearing the heads from the bodies. Alfred stood behind Mathias, fury blazing in his eyes as he watched his son parry with Azael. The panthers growled and roared, eying the vampires, but continuing to fight. It was only minutes before only Mathias and Azael still fought.

"It seems you had more help than even I expected," Azael said, flicking his gaze around the battlefield. "I must concede this battle to you."

"Then you give us the victory?" Mathias demanded, unwilling for there to be any ambiguity in Azael's decision.

"Yes, vampire. You have won and I will leave these cats and their families in peace so long as my son is not endangered by them again."

"And the humans?"

"And the humans," Azael said. "And those who are a bit more than human." Azael's gaze stopped on Kerry before settling on me and fear tripped my heart into a gallop. Why would he think me and my sister were more than human? "This battle ends and so does my anger for what transpired in the spring." There was a thunderous clap of thunder and Azael vanished, leaving us to clean up the mess.

The panthers roared in triumph and the vampires who had come to our rescue cringed. Alfred watched me from his position behind Mathias. I could tell he was angry, but I wasn't certain if the anger was directed at me or Mathias.

Kerry's scream tore my attention from the vampires. I saw her kneeling beside one of the panthers.

"X, come on baby, you said you could heal whatever they did. You promised me," Kerry cried.

The panther growled low, but didn't move. Elise slipped out of the trees and knelt beside Kerry. She took my sister's hands and lay them on the cat's side.

"Do it, Kerry. You know you can save him. You have to believe. This is what we've been working on all summer. You have the ability, now you must have faith." I could see moisture on Elise's cheeks, but couldn't tell if it was rain or if she were crying for her wounded grandson. I only knew I heard fear and loss in the older woman's voice.

Kerry shook her head and snatched her hands away from Xavier's side. I could see the blood glistening on her palms. When I noticed a couple of the vampires edging toward the wounded panthers, I whispered, "stay," before I crossed the beach to join my sister.

"Kerry, believe in yourself," I said. "You've never flinched when I've done the weird stuff. It's your turn."

She turned her tear-stained face to me. "What if I fail?" I could see her fear, almost taste it in the air, but I knew if I let her give in to the fear, Xavier would die on the sand where he lay.

"You won't fail," I said, "unless you don't try."

Kerry lay her hands on the gashes I could now see in Xavier's side. Her hands trembled, and I heard her whisper, "I love you. You promised to heal. Do it."

Xavier roared. It was a sound filled with pain and fear. Kerry didn't move, but I could see the gashes begin to knit together, much the way Mathias' wounds had healed when Serina had attacked him. I blinked slowly, shocked by what I was witnessing and saw Xavier, in his human form, now lay curled in the sand. The boy shivered and his grandmother wrapped her shawl around his body. Kerry looked at me and I smiled.

"See, Sis, I knew you could do it." I glanced around the battlefield and saw two groups of men bunched together on opposite sides of the beach. The panthers, most still naked, but in their human forms, were clustered around Hector. He lay still and pale on the red sand. I realized it must have been Hector whom I had seen fall before screaming for help.

My help stood silent and still beside Alfred. There were twenty of them, except Alfred, were staring at me with something akin to adoration. When I crossed to them, some cringed away and I realized I was still holding the blessed blade I'd used to distract the minions around Xavier. I dropped the blade in the sand and the vampires stepped close to me again.

"You called," Alfred said. His voice trembled with the force of his anger. I guess that answered my original question. Alfred wasn't angry with Mathias, he was furious with me.

"I prayed for help. God has a sense of humor apparently." I saw Mathias' lips twitch. Was he laughing at me?

"Could you please release us?" Alfred growled.

"Sorry, sorry," I said. "You don't have to stay but you can't hurt the pride or anyone else here."

Alfred's posture relaxed but his attitude didn't change. "I have had enough of this, son," he said.

"Not now, Alfred," Mathias said.

"Then when?" Alfred paced a few steps, glancing up to keep a watch on the milling vampires who had clustered around me. "Do you see that?" he demanded, gesturing to me and my audience. "Do you see me here, on this field, where I swore I would not be, not even for you?"

"Yes," Mathias said. He watched me, as though waiting for something, but I was entranced by him and could do nothing but stare. The twisted silver scars on his neck and wrists gleamed even in the dim light of the overcast day that had taken over when the rain stopped. The questions on my tongue waited for my brain to reconnect, but the moment passed when Kerry called to me.

"Maire, come on, we need to get out of here." The pride had donned their clothes and carried their fallen brothers among them. Aside from Hector and Xavier, three other panthers were injured or dead. I couldn't tell for certain from where I stood and my heart lurched into a gallop. How many families were torn asunder on this battle field today? How many more panthers would despise me and my family because I associated with vampires and other creatures who brought this kind of pain and destruction into their backyards?

"I've got to go with them," I said.

"You have responsibilities here, Mairin," Alfred said. "You cannot abandon these men."

I looked at the vampires who stood around me, close, but not touching me. The olive-skinned vampire who had saved me stood closest to me, almost like a body guard.

"I'm not abandoning them, but I have to go with my family. Can't you take them home and I'll come later?"

Alfred jerked and I cursed. "Look, I don't know how to do this, okay? I have no idea how not to order you around. You can't keep getting pissed at me just because you take everything so damned seriously."

Mathias laughed out loud and I swung my gaze to him. "She does have a point, Alfred," he said. My favorite smile stretched his beautiful lips and I stepped back, stunned. Mathias wasn't angry. He thought this was hilarious. I shook my head. I really didn't understand men sometimes.

"You are, without doubt, the single most aggravating person I have ever had the misfortune to know," I said.

"As I told you before, Mairin, I do not doubt you." Mathias' smile broadened and I ground my teeth.

"I'm going with the panthers. I'll be at your house when I can get there." I turned my back on the vampires and stomped across the sand to where the last of the panthers waited for me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Mathias strolling into the swamp behind the line of vampires. I could swear he was laughing.

The shades at Mathias' house were thrown wide open when I arrived. I pulled into the drive and sat behind the wheel of the Nova for a long time. The panthers, whom I'd left in East Hampton at Xavier's house, had been both elated that the threat was gone and heartsick over their loss. Hector's death had reminded each of them that while they might be strong, they weren't invincible. I'd left when the stares of the panthers had become too much for me to stand any longer. They all wanted to know what had brought the vampires into the fight, but none but Xavier had the authority to ask. Xavier watched me, but didn't ask the question. When I'd paced past him for the twentieth time, he'd finally kicked me out.

"Go on, Maire. You can't do anything more here. Kerry's got me and the others mostly patched up. Gram's gonna cook. You've got unfinished business in Highland Home, I think."

"Xavier, how'd you get to be so wise?" I'd asked when I hugged him.

"I listen to Kerry," he said, laughing. "She's pretty smart. And so's her sister."

And so I'd gone. I'd driven the familiar road from East Hampton to Highland Home and followed the turns that would take me to the house on the beach. Now that I was here, I had no idea what to do. I'd been so angry with Mathias for so long that I didn't know how to tell him I could forgive him if he'd stay with me, and if he'd stop doing things for my own good.

I watched the windows from my car. I could see Alfred standing in the living room, staring out into the driveway. I knew he was waiting for me to make up my mind and come in, but I wondered if he was waiting because he wanted to or because he had to. The idea that Alfred was compelled to do what I wanted him to do in the same way he'd been compelled by Serina sickened me. If I could wave a wand and ditch the moody jerk, I would, but so far it seemed like our connection was getting stronger the longer it was in place, rather than fading with my wishes. I worried what Alfred might do to me if we couldn't find a way to break the bond soon.

I sighed. I decided I might as well get it over with. I knocked on the door and was surprised when Mathias opened it.

"I wondered how long you were going to sit in your car," he said, stepping aside to allow me to pass into the house. "I was ready to send someone out to get you."

I looked at him, sure my thoughts showed in my expression. He was acting as though nothing had happened and I was beginning to wonder if I'd lost my mind.

"They're waiting for you in the living room," he said. "Can I bring you anything?" He watched me closely and I could see he was poised on the edge of saying something, but holding back until he thought I was ready to listen.

"No, thank you," I whispered. I didn't trust my voice to remain strong with him. The scabs that had begun to reform in the days since our confrontation on Xavier's porch tore open again each time I looked at him. I wanted to scream at him, demand to know what he planned to do to destroy me next. But I knew I had to deal with Alfred and the other vampires first. Having a collection of slaves who came at my slightest word was something I didn't want and couldn't have if I was going to have anything resembling a normal life.

"Thank you for coming," Alfred said. "I and the others appreciate your willingness to deal with us."

"Stuff it, Alfred," I said. "You know I didn't do this on purpose so you can shove your self-righteous anger right up..."

"Alfred is a bit testy, Mairin. Surely you understand." Mathias' reasonable tone irritated me as it always did when I was more emotionally invested in something than he was. "Alfred is unaccustomed to being attached to a human." Alfred glared at Mathias who smirked and barely contained his laughter.

I flopped down in the chair closest to the door and leaned my head into my hands. "Tell me what to do, Alfred and I'll do it. I don't want this any more than you do." I looked up and addressed the other vampires. "I do want to thank all of you for coming today. You saved us. I can't repay that, but if I can make your lives easier or more comfortable, I will."

Alfred gestured to the other vampires and they slowly wandered away. Only the olive-skinned vampire remained.