Red Awakening: (Red Knight #2) (18 page)

Liz

This room, god it brings back memories. I hover by the bed, pulling my damp hair out of Sara’s grey silk dressing gown. I remember everything about that night, it’s all flooding back through my system. Recovering from the blood transfusion in that bed. Nathan saying goodbye to me, before leaving for Paris. And the argument with Adrien, the point we nearly ended it for good. This room is the place I seem to end up in, when the shit hits the fan.

I wish things were the way they were. I can’t talk to anyone here. Adrien, well he’s on code level red right now, and wants heads to roll. And everyone else in my life, apart from Nathan, doesn’t know I’m married to a vampire. I’m alone in this, and I’ll admit it, I really need my mum.

I’ve been given strict orders, bath then bed. Sara was shocked to see us both turn up on her doorstep. But she can’t say no to her master, and deep down I think she likes to feel needed. She thrives on organising chaos.

I comb my hair, perching on the edge of the bed. I peer down at my belly. Is he in there, or is this all a figment of my imagination. After that dream, I can’t think of anything other than him. It was as though he was warning me, sending me a vision of things that will come to pass before they happen. It feels like he’s with me in some way.

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the cream door. I really don’t need to hear the words, ‘It’s all in your head’ again.

The door opens. “Liz,” Sara says, closing the door quietly behind her. “Just checking up on you… do you need anything?”

“Unless you have a time machine, then no,” I sigh. “Where’s Adrien?”

“Doing what he does best when on the warpath.”

She’s very reluctant. She’s thinking very hard because she finds it difficult to understand human emotions.

“Sara, you don’t need to be here. I’ll be fine.”

I’m lying, of course this isn’t fine. But that’s me I guess. I hate others being all awkward around me.

She hesitates with a breath, and sits down on the edge of the bed. I thought with me giving her the all clear to go, she’d be out of here. But no, she’s going to try her best to get me to participate in a heart to heart.

“Are you still bleeding?” She presses her lips together, as uncomfortable as I with that question.

“Did he send you in here to ask me that?” I roll my eyes.

“You know Adrien.”

“You think I’m nuts too?”

She pouts. “My opinion, honestly, is that Selene is dangerous. So yeah, I believe she did something to you.”

“That ring Laurie used on me, did he ever attack you with it?”

“I’ve seen it. He was wearing it the night I was turned. Fortunately, Adrien arrived before he had chance to use it,” she explains.

More than anything I’m confused. Maybe I am losing my mind. That dream, could have just been a dream. And the blood, could have been exactly what Adrien thought, some gynaecological problem that needs dealing with.

“What will he do?” I ask.

“Liz, he’ll find out the truth,” she replies. “If this happened two years ago, he’d have known from the off.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was off the grid for a long time.” Her brows arch briefly. “And not one of us would even dare inquire what his role was. He served the order for years before he retired to take a more sedate roll.” 

His dark secrets. I knew they existed. There has always been this niggling concern that one day they would come to light. The reason I never dug deeper was plain old denial. I thought everything could be perfect, regardless of what he was. I thought as long as we loved each other, we could get through anything.

I bend over, covering my face with my hands, fighting the urge to weep.

“Look, Gwen will be here any moment, then we’ll know for sure.” Sara stands up and makes her way to the door.

“Gwen?”

“Yeah, let’s just say she has unconventional methods at getting a diagnosis.” She leaves me in a state of worry, closing the door behind her.

I take my grey jeans and peach blouse out from my small black holdall. Adrien packed it for me. Left me sat on the bed in our apartment crying, as he stormed around, flinging items here there and everywhere.

I fasten the small silver buttons on my blouse, then thread my jeans up over my legs. I bend and pull on the zipper, but it won’t fasten.
Oh god, please fasten.

Adrien opens the door. No knock. No eye contact. No loving smile. He’s still angry with me. In his opinion I’m braindead, stupid, reckless, and a liar for not telling him about Selene. I’m the one who has put this on us, and boy is he making me aware of it.

I pull my shirt down, leaving the top button of my jeans open. If he sees me struggling into them, he might lose his head again.

“Elizabeth, can you come down stairs please?” He turns away and doesn’t even wait for me.

I make my way down the green staircase, and into Sara’s dining room. The long black table has been cleared of the large opulent Chinese vase and flowers. Now there is some bizarre white painted symbol on it, with a copper bowl full of a grey stringy substance, set in the centre.

Adrien pulls out a chair without a word, wanting me to sit down. I swallow, and make my way over, watching my socks move over the red carpet. Without looking at him, I turn, and sit in the black leather high back chair. Still unwilling to talk to me, he pours me a glass of water, then leaves me alone.

I look down at the symbol. This is just plain weird, all this hocus-pocus shit. I’ve never seen this symbol before. It’s nothing like the Voax symbol. It’s a triangle with a horizontal half-moon facing the top tip, and beneath there’s some kind of strange lettering.

I hear voices outside. My heart thumps fast as Adrien enters with his arm linked up to a lady. She’s very beautiful, but her eyes are closed. She has long raven red curly hair, pale skin, and is wearing chunky biker boots, jeans, with a short brown jacket. Her red painted lips beam kindly in my direction.

“Now, why in the sweet lord’s name would you go and get yourself involved with this piece of work?” she asks me, squeezing Adrien’s arm playfully, as an awkward silence develops. “So, as soon as I’m to introduce myself then.”

“Sorry,” Adrien says. “Elizabeth, this is Gwen. We go way back.”

“Yeah sugar… too damn long,” she replies.

I’m dying to ask. I’m fighting to keep the question from parting my lips.
‘Gwen, why are your eyes closed?’

“Honey.” I quietly gasp as she opens, to reveal nothing but a brilliant white across her pupils. “I was blind at birth. It kind of puts a dampener on the first encounter… best to ease you into it, you know.”

“Oh.” I cringe inside with shame, feeling like I’ve made her disability the main focus of this meeting. “Well it’s nice to meet you Gwen… and you can call me Liz.”

“It’s a pleasure,” she smiles. “From what I’ve gathered, you’re in need of my help, and so is that tiny bambino I can see.” She slips her arm away from Adrien, and holds onto the back of a chair. “And I kind of owe him one.”

Adrien purses his lips then shrugs his shoulders at me. They obviously know each other well, I’ve seen that look before. It’s his modest face, when he doesn’t want me to know about his past.

“So you can see what’s…? I hold my belly.

“Just because you’re not the size of a baby elephant, doesn’t mean a thing. Your aura radiates motherhood,” she answers.

I stare down, slowly sweeping my hand across my gut in complete shock. Adrien flicks his arms up in a rage, then runs his hands in an exasperated manner down his face. Gwen arches her brow at him, and turns back to me.

“Take no notice of him Liz. He’s basically not going to handle any of this well,” she tuts. “Adrien, why don’t you leave us. Go and do what you males do when things get tough. Drink.”

He rolls up the sleeves of his blue shirt. “No.”

“Okay.” She blinks in annoyance and makes her way over to me, running her hand over the back of each chair. “So Liz.” She hovers her fingers over my stomach and bends. “Do you mind?”

Shit, I’m so nervous. I’m freaking scared, not only because she has just confirmed I’m pregnant, but because I have no clue how, or what’s going on inside me. I’m reluctant. Sometimes it’s better not to know; to deny the truth.

“Elizabeth, Gwen is the kindest person I know.” Adrien gestures his head for me to cooperate. “She wouldn’t harm a fly.”

She smirks. “Kissing ass… never thought I’d see the day.”

“Err, just a quick question?” I delay. “What is all this stuff?” I shuffle anxiously away from her hand. “I mean, come on… is this stuff going to help me, or open up the gates of hell?”

Gwen seems to find my question humorous, but I’m being deadly serious, so don’t share her amusement in the matter.

“I’m what you would call gifted,” she smiles. “I see many things the normal eye cannot. And this mojo on the table, helps me home in on it even more.”

I inhale, swallow, and unenthusiastically lift my shirt to just below my bust, revealing my entire midriff. She carefully lies her hand on my skin. Her touch is like ice and makes me flinch.

“Sorry, cold hands, warm heart and all that. Now then, let me see what’s going on inside here.”

She lowers her head as though she’s listening out for something. I close my eyes, praying that she’s wrong, hoping that she finds nothing inside me.

“Your baby is healthy… would you like to know the sex?” she asks casually, as my heart pummels against my ribcage. “Be calm Liz. Not good for the baby, all this stress.”

“Gwen!” Adrien snaps. “More essential information please.”

“Spoilsport,” she mumbles, closing her eyes again.

She seems to have been down there with her ears pinned back for ages. And every now and again, her head twitches a freaky abnormal shunt. I daren’t move, speak, or breathe, in case it quashes her concentration. All of a sudden she gasps and reels away from me. The front legs of my chair rise up and slam back down. She wheezes out, her pale skin turning paler.

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting that,” she breathes.

“What?” Adrien panics.

“I’m not getting the clearest picture this way,” she says.

“Well what did you see?” Adrien yells.

“It wouldn’t be a nice detail for Liz to relive,” she replies, sympathetically.

“I’m fine… please,” I insist.

She sighs. “The night you were attacked, an object was used on you.” I close my eyes, the silver hook ring that Selene warned me of. “Well, it seems that it was blessed with fertility in preparation.”

“For what exactly!” Adrien pushes.

“For a child… a special child,” she says. “But that doesn’t explain the sudden resurrection of your little swimmers.” She looks at Adrien’s groin. “Unless I perform a blood reading spell, I won’t be able to tell you how. And for me, that’s a big no-no. I won’t delve deeper into the dark arts.”

Oh god. Spells. Blood. What is she, a frigging witch?

I gaze at Adrien as he curves over the table. His impatience is clear in the way he’s giving Gwen the daggers.

“Do it,” he orders.

“You don’t understand. It’s shadow magic, and you know I don’t do the shady stuff.” She waves her hand. “Asking me to, goes against everything I believe in. Opening that can of worms will have repercussions.”

“And this doesn’t,” he argues. “You know something isn’t right here, because it’s fucking impossible. I need to know what I’m dealing with dammit!”

Poor Gwen. She’s warning him, but his head is on a one track road and he doesn’t care about the consequences. He’s not making this any easier. I watch his angry impulsive pacing, trying to catch a decent breath. Even though Gwen cannot see, it appears she can, as they both continue to glare at one another.

“You want me to delve into the veil, and ask my ancestors to read Liz’s blood… your blood?” Her tone is high. “Might I add, my family tree contains some pretty powerful evil.”

“Yes,” he says, firmly.

This is insane, and I won’t let him do it. You don’t just mess around with paranormal stuff like this.

“Adrien, you need to stop,” I say, cautiously. “We’ll find out another way?”

“Thing is honey,” Gwen interrupts. “That baby will stay inside you until Adrien does the deed.”

“What?” I ask.

“He needs to turn you,” she replies.

Adrien keels over then springs back with angry flailing arms. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

Gwen lowers her head and nods. “No, Dhampir children are special, and only your bite will bring on the birth.”

He growls. “And if I don’t?”

“Then the child will remain inside Liz,” she replies. “The longer you leave it in there, the more symptoms she will feel… until it’s too late.” She turns to me. “And I know you’ve already been through some already.”

Adrien strides from one end of the table to the other, clutching his fingers over his head, grumbling and cursing. I inhale and slowly blink out a tear. I wanted this, to be the same as him. But shit, now there’s no choice, he has to.