FALL (The Senses) (33 page)

“Is there a council meeting I am
unaware of?” Waleron asked.

“No. I came to speak with
Genevieve regarding a private matter.” She smiled at Delara thenntook her hand
and squeezed. “I will help get you settled, Delara. Don’t worry, Edan is
otherwise…engaged, so it’s good timing.” Zurina finding it necessary to mention
that fact was odd and rather unsettling. Zurina knew it would upset Waleron and
he looked ready to detonate. “I’m certain Waleron has more important matters to
attend to. And he shouldn’t be here with you. The Wraiths wouldn’t be very
pleased to see you with her, Waleron.”

Waleron hesitated. His intense
eyes lingered on Zurina, while he clenched and unclenched his hands. Delara
noticed his tattoo move, barely, but the snake slithered then settled again.
The eyes remained black, but if it was disturbed then so was Waleron.

He nodded to Zurina, then looked
at her. Desire swam in the cool depths of his blue eyes and for a second she
thought he’d kiss her right there. He opened his mouth as if to say something but
he changed his mind.

Suddenly, he swirled into a cloud
and disappeared.

“He never likes to leave you,
does he?” It was a statement. Zurina’s hand tightened uncomfortably. “Always
been that way with him and you.”

“We love one another,” Delara
said. And Waleron was going to admit it if she had any say about it. “The
Wraiths must know that as well as you.” At least being in the Realm would give
her the opportunity to talk to the Wraiths.

“His oath to his mother faltered
long ago.” Zurina tilted her head to the side as she peered at her. “He should
have let you go after Tarek tried to kill you. I warned him. I told him to let
you die, but no, he wouldn’t and now look where this has led us.”

What the fuck? Delara stared at
Zurina with shock. No. This couldn’t be happening. Zurina was a respected
Healer. She sat on the council. She was a Taldeburu for the U.K.

Oh no. Oh god. No. This would
kill Waleron. He trusted Zurina. She’d been his mother’s friend. Why? Why would
she do this? “It’s you. You’re helping Tarek. You told the Wraiths that Waleron
was irrational. You told them to separate us.” The realization was like an
iceberg had settling on Delara’s shoulders. “You want him imprisoned.”

Zurina sighed. “Yes. It would be
much easier to take you if Waleron was incarcerated. Since the Wraiths have
decided to not act on my suggestion, I had to make other arrangements.”

“
You
Traced into the Talde
house and took my letter. You sent the packages. You knew exactly when I went
to Spain because Waleron would’ve told you. You told the Wraiths lies in order
to separate us. To put doubt in their minds about Waleron’s sanity. To send me
to another Talde.”

“You understand I never wanted to
do this.”

Delara glanced around.
Do
what?

“But my oath to Waleron’s mother
takes precedence. You’re a diversion. Have been for a very long time.”

A shiver ran down Delara’s spine.
She knew that being able to telepathically speak to anyone from the Realm was
rare, so she reached for the one man who could hear her.
“Edan. Please. I
need you.”

****

Xamien opened the door to Abby’s
room and immediately felt Abby and Damien’s despair. It was like walking
through gray ash, the emotion clinging to his lungs as he breathed. He put up
more walls around his mind, blocking the desolation. It stemmed from them both
and yet he only saw Damien sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, his
legs bent and his head resting on his knees. His hands were in his hair in a
death grip while his feet continuously tapped the ground in a rhythm.

Xamien peered in the bedroom, the
covers were thrown off the bed and the sheets were askew, but no Abby. Xamien
turned back to Damien. There was a time when they were children that Damien had
been hiding in the closet, sitting exactly like this. Xamien had found him and
coerced him out, holding Damien’s arms around his shoulders while making him
keep his eyes shut as they walked past their sister’s dead body.

They’d been close for years after
that until
Annabelle Duumviri
. Until she tore them apart.

Xamien crouched down in front of
his brother, aware he’d probably regret such an action. Damien wanted to kill
him after all. “Where is she, Damien?”

Damien didn’t answer, his foot
continuously tapping.

Xamien moved to sit down beside
him and bent his knees, looping his arms around them. “She’s gone isn’t she?”
Damien had been able to unweave the spell around the house or Abby had finally
figured it out. He should’ve known Damien would offer Abby freedom before
Waleron took him back.

“Last year she begged me to kill
her. Did you know that?” Damien’s head still rested on his knees, his shoulders
hunched and his voice barely audible. “So, she wouldn’t become a vamp. All
those months she suffered and then…then she wanted to die.”

Xamien remained silent, knowing
his brother was tearing apart, needing some kind of release.

“I cried. Begged. I fuckin’
begged, Xamien. Never have I felt so much desolation as I did in those months I
spent with her. But I also…god I loved too.” Damien choked then coughed. “I
loved her.” His foot stopped tapping and his arms tightened around his legs and
he began to rock back and forth. “She changed her goddamn choice of food, but
she’s the same woman. I fell in love with who she is, not what she is. She
doesn’t get it.” Damien lifted his head and stared across the empty room. “You
know, she attacked that girl Max so you’d kill her. That’s what Abby wanted.
She told me…she wanted you to kill her. But you didn’t and I came and then…then
she left me. Again.”

Xamien had no words to offer. And
Damien didn’t need them. He was being eaten alive by misery that had stretched
on for too long. Whether Abby would survive, Xamien didn’t know; the chances
were slim at best. A vamp walking on their own was few and far between, only
the ancients had enough control and power to succeed. Abby…maybe she left so
she could die.

“Damien…” Jesus what do you say
to that? “You need me to help you go after her, I’ll be there. You know that
right?” His brother just kept rocking. “You always have a home here. Always.
Don’t ever forget that.” Despite knowing Waleron would object, he’d help his
brother if he requested it. He’d never turn his back on him. The problem was
his brother would never ask for it.

Damien shook his head. “She never
wanted me to see her like this. I have to let her go.” His shoulders dropped
further and he inhaled a jerky breath. “I hate you, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” Xamien squeezed
his brother’s shoulder. “But I love you and one day, you just might realize
it.” Xamien climbed to his feet. “Jasper is headed to France, St. Tropez. Go
with him. Waleron is too busy hunting Tarek to worry about coming after you.”
“Jasper, wait a sec. My brother is coming with you.”

“No time for babysitting. Get
me?”

“Then I’m calling in my
marker.”

“Fuck. Fine. Tell him to get
his ass downstairs. And give him your bike, I’m not riding double.”

“Why are you doing this?” Damien
asked.

“That’s what brother’s do.
Jasper’s waiting for you.” Damien came to his feet, using the wall to gain his
balance. Xamien knew it had been a while since the guy ate or drank anything.
He reached in his pocket and passed Damien a key. “Bike is in the garage. It’s
a Ducati—be nice to it. Oh and Jasper’s an assassin, so don’t piss him off.”

****

Delara knew she needed to keep
Zurina talking. Eventually a Wraith would feel the distension in the air and
Edan was bound to hear her if he was in the Realm—even if currently
engaged
.
“Zurina, nothing can distract Waleron. He lives the Senses.”

Zurina’s voice rose. “He lives
his oath to you.”

“What oath?”

“That he’d protect you above all
else for as long as he walks this earth.” Zurina tsked, shaking her head. “I
like you Delara, always have. You had guts coming to the Realm and speaking in
front of council. Using Edan.” She sighed. “But my oath to Waleron’s mother is
more important than you, as is Waleron’s oaths to the Goddess and his mother.”

“So you’re going to kill me? Is
that your solution?”

“No, Delara. Of course not. Now
that would be breaking my oath. I’m a Healer. No, I’ll leave that to Tarek. I’m
merely delivering a…package. And supplying the island.”

Island?
“Waleron will find you.” Of that Delara was certain. There was no
way Zurina would be able to get away with this.

“Of course he will, Delara. I
don’t pretend to think he will let me live either. My sacrifice is a
necessity.” Zurina’s stance went rigid and her fingernails dug into Delara’s
wrist. “What have you done?” She slid her hand under her shirt at her waist.
“Stupid. Stupid girl.” Zurina pulled out a gun and Delara reacted at the same moment
Edan appeared.

Delara shoved Zurina in the chest
then kicked out with her legs, but Zurina’s grip wouldn’t dislodge and they
both fell to the ground. Delara jerked on her arm, causing Zurina’s fingernails
to rip at her skin.

“Delara?” Edan sounded shocked.
His footsteps came running towards her. She saw Zurina’s hand raise with the
gun, pointed in his direction.

“No!” she screamed and punched
Zurina in the side.

Delara rolled and kicked Zurina
in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and dislodging her hand from
Delara’s wrist.

Edan was there. “Delara, what…”

Delara watched as his tall, lithe
form crashed to the ground only feet away. “Edan.” Delara crawled towards his body
lying face down. But there was no blood…

Zurina pointed the tranquilizer gun
at her.

“Delara, I can’t…reach…” Edan
passed out, a dart in his throat.

“Time to go.”

Delara gasped as a dart impaled
her neck.

Chapter
15

Waleron went back to his house
after leaving the Realm. He needed his steel room, the emotions had become too
difficult to control and the room was the only place he was safe to unleash the
fury in his Scar. For over an hour the unbridled rage controlled his body, the
snake crawling across his skin. The Scar ate away at his body, trying to take
him over completely. Destroying all the good. Heightening all the rage. The
anger was so intense it felt like his body would implode. The Scar’s
destruction was about taking control of him, needing to have his body and mind.
Waleron’s body was his Scar when he was chained like this, but he’d fight for
his mind.

When it was over, Waleron’s body
hung limp. He waited until the snake settled against his skin again then used
his mind to unlock the manacles on his wrists. The chains dropped with a loud
clang. This was the only control he had when the Scar took over. He’d never let
the Scar use his mind to unlock the chains. He was uncertain how long that
would last. His Scar seemed to be getting stronger, fighting to take him over.

He took out his Pez and stared at
it for several minutes, contemplating. What she was asking was impossible. The
anger was eating away at everything inside of him. He had to have control. He
needed it.

Opening the Pez, he removed two
pills. He had them halfway to his mouth before he threw them against the wall.
Then he crushed the Pez in his hand and let the broken pieces of plastic fall
to the floor. He knew he had been pushing her away for years, but the thought
of her actually leaving him… No. He’d do anything to keep her. Even if it meant
her finally seeing what lived inside him. It was unfair to her, unfair to want her
for himself after all this time, but he
loved
her. That’s why he was
like this. If he never tried to show her who he is now and she walked away…he’d
never forgive himself. He’d regret it for eternity.

He didn’t care if the Wraiths
ripped his Taldeburu away from him as long as they didn’t take her. Just her.
That was all he needed.

He had to give up the pills. He
had to let her see the person he’d become. He may lose her, but he was losing
her anyway. He had to trust. Trust that despite his Scar, he’d never harm the
one woman he would never stop loving. Ever.

Trust himself. Trust Delara to
love him as he was now.

He knew this was their last
chance and he was going down fighting for her.

****

The moment Waleron Traced into
Xamien’s house, he knew something was off. Silence. His palms grew hot and
there was tightness in his chest. He strode to the one room that gave off any
scent of the others.

He pushed open the library door.
“Where are they?”

Glunk briefly glanced at Max who
was standing in the corner, her hands clasped together and head bowed. Glunk
answered him, “Abby was released from her room and has left the grounds. Damien
left hours later. I know not where they’ve gone.” Glunk shifted uneasily behind
the desk, his hand caressing the cover of a large, leather book—a grimoire.