Valley of Dust (6 page)

L
UCIAN HAD THOUGHT all day about how to conduct the meeting with the council. Lately he had so much on his mind that he hadn’t prepared anything for the meeting. Lucian had asked Carla to help Selene to adjust to her new living arrangements. He hoped Carla would not be in harm’s way watching over Selene. Carla was a trusted mortal, someone who kept his ties to the mortal world very harmonious. She was the only one in his employment that was not a strigoi. Lucian had to keep Carla’s house close by to his mansion since his undead employees may unintentionally drain her life force. That’s why they were considered a misfortune. The undead couldn’t adapt well around humans because they would slowly steal life force from humans without realizing it. This draining of power would only happen if an undead strigoi were around a mortal for an extended amount of time. This is why he kept Carla closest to his mansion: to protect her. That’s when he thought about Selene; there was a lot unknown about an elemental live strigoi, especially one that was female. There were only two female live strigoi on the council, but none had shown the trait of absorbing energy from the elements. Almost all live strigoi, except Lucian and Selene, used human life for energy. The female members also gave birth to weaker live strigoi children. Even Alexander’s spouse’s children were at the lowest when it came to power, which was shocking since Anton and Alexander were considered equals. He wondered if Selene’s children would also be different than the other strigoi. The council thought of themselves as nobles, and the ones who had the most power were in charge. Alexander had been in charge for a long time before he brought Lucian and his brother into the council. With the curse’s power, combined with Lucian’s own, he could overpower the council members with ease; and that was why he was designated to rule. Lucian was indeed the strongest of them all; even his twin, Anton, was no match for him. The thought of Anton made him tremble with anger. Then his mind wandered to Selene; even though she had slept with his brother, he had no reason to be mad at her. He felt more at fault for allowing his brother to watch her instead of just doing it himself. Lucian wanted Selene safe, and he had trusted his brother in that duty, and Anton had failed him miserably. He knew the true person to blame was Anton, but the thought of hurting his own flesh and blood still made him feel sick to his stomach. Lucian just hoped that Selene would get over this heartbreak soon and Anton would leave her alone.

Lucian got his baggage into the car and was heading to the airport. The six o’clock flight would be quick, a simple two-hour flight, and he would be at the Ritz Carlton. He felt horrible for having to leave on short notice while Selene was still trying to control her powers.
Three days in New York. Three days,
he thought,
he wouldn’t be able to protect Selene
. Carla had assured Lucian she had hired a security team and that she would be staying with Selene until he came home. A little relief came to him knowing that. He finally arrived at the Ritz Carlton in New York and checked in with ease. As he entered the meeting room, he saw that everyone had already arrived. Living further from the council had its advantages, but having to leave home now made being further from the council more of a disadvantage. Most of them were discussing politics in the human world. Money was a big thing to strigoi. Lucian in his own right was worth more than most of the council members. Through the centuries he had collected gold and silver. He never felt too safe when paper currency was invented. So he stuck with what had worked before that. Lucian owned many night clubs around the United States and played the stock market like an expert.
This was going to be a boring meeting,
he thought as the council was deciding on what companies to invest with. Lucian decided to let his news be known now. Lucian stood up and raised his hands to silence the room. “I would like to inform the council I have found my bride, therefore anyone who touches her will have to go through me.” The council was shocked. He knew they would be; he had never taken interest in anyone before now, mainly because of the curse. Alexander stood up, “Congratulations, Lucian, we hope to meet her soon. Is your brother watching her while you’re away?” Lucian’s stomach shook in pain. Where was Anton? After all, he was a council member and should be here. Then the worst thought came to mind: Anton was waiting to get Selene while Lucian was away. How could he have been so foolish? He knew the undead would have no chance at securing Selene’s safety or Carla’s. He knew he had to leave now or something horrible might happen. He got up abruptly and said, “Council is adjourned. I will send word when our next meeting will take place,” and with that Lucian hurried off to the airport. He hoped he would make it in time before anything bad happened to them.

T
HE DAY HAD been wonderful. Carla had told me that while Lucian was away for three days she would get time off to have fun with me. We really enjoyed each other’s company. We had a Jane Austin movie marathon. It was quite laughable how we could say the lines at the same time.
Pride and Prejudice
was our last film for the night and we couldn’t keep our mouths shut. We gushed over the actor who played Mr. Darcy—he was so handsome. Then dinner came around, and we begged Jacques to let us enjoy it outside in the garden. It was a starry, clear night sky, and the moon was full; we turned on the lights to the outdoor garden and grabbed a bottle of champagne. We must have looked like dumb school girls to Jacques running the way we did. Dinner was fabulous, and we talked about the lovely men from Jane Austin’s books. “I wish men were like the olden days, Carla, you know, honor, respect, and extremely romantic.” I winked. Carla laughed, “Selene, I think the champagne has gotten to your head. I don’t believe any man could be as great as those books, no matter what era. Though I think Lucian comes close to a Mr. Darcy. What do you think, Selene?” “Hmm, it is true he isn’t the best at conversing.” I laughed. “But on a serious note, I had always dreamed of a guy similar to Lucian. It’s just knowing someone as gorgeous as him doesn’t only exist in my dreams but in the real world is just a bit intimidating for me.” “Ahhh, Selene has a crush on Lucian,” giggled Carla. “It is complicated. He knew that asshole Anton. The one I had a one-night stand with.” Carla spit out champagne, and it landed all over my face. “You did what with Anton?” “You heard me, Carla. It was before Lucian showed me his true character, and thanks for the champagne in my face.” I winked. “Oh my, Selene, if only I had known you before I could have warned you about Anton. He is a seducer of women. I was always told by Lucian to never look at him long or I might be covered in filth.” “Little late, Carla, but thanks, you have become a great friend.” “You too, Selene, I am glad we could be friends.” “Carla, can I ask you something?” I said. “Sure, Selene, anything,” Carla replied. “How do you get over someone you thought you knew?” I said. “Are we talking about Anton?” Carla asked. “Yes, what I saw that night here in the mansion didn’t match up with the man I laughed with. It’s like he had two different personalities,” I said. “You still care for Anton, don’t you, Selene?” Carla said. “Part of me believes what I saw here was enough to condemn him from my sight for good, but then there is another part of me who feels that the true man was the man I laughed with over coffee,” I said. “Selene, I can’t tell you what to believe. I’ve personally never seen any side of Anton, but Lucian would know his true character,” Carla said. “This is something I could never ask Lucian. From the moment I met him, I have only caused him heartache. Lucian deserves better than a girl like me,” I said. “You’re wrong, Selene. Lucian loves all of you regardless of your faults, as do I, even if we haven’t known each other for long. I feel like we could be best friends. Just give us a chance,” Carla said. Talking with her brought peace to my heart that I thought would never get the closure it needed.

After staring at the stars speechless, we heard a large sound coming from the kitchen. “What was that, Carla?” “I don’t know, Selene, stay behind me. Okay?” “What’s happening, Carla? Is Jacques okay?” “I don’t know, but this looks bad. Selene, stay back and hide.” That’s when there was an explosion. Glass shot out everywhere from the kitchen windows. All we could see was a dust cloud left from the explosion. There was a figure coming; we couldn’t tell who, but it was slowly walking through the mist of shattered glass like it didn’t faze it. The figure crept so slowly that it made our hearts jump with fright. As the dust settled, we could slowly start to see the figure. The figure had stopped, and we saw Anton surrounded by destruction. He was smiling as he walked so easily through the destruction. He gazed at me as if I belonged to him, grinning the whole time. That is when we heard him speak. His voice was as suave as ever, but this time I would not be fooled by his charms. Anton was showing his true nature now, and I despised him for what he was doing. “Selene, why have you left me and chosen my brother? Weren’t we great for each other? You certainly never complained that night between us. The connection was there, didn’t you feel it? Come with me, Selene. I need you,” Anton said. Carla ran in the middle. “Anton, leave now, you are not welcome. If Lucian knew…” In that moment I saw Anton’s arm pull out with his palm facing Carla. Within what felt like seconds, I saw Carla’s body fly and hit the tree next to me. I ran to her to make sure she was all right, but from what I had seen I knew there was no way she was not heavily damaged. Her body was limp, and I could barely feel a pulse. Anger welled inside of me, like in my dreams. I remembered how I took the power of everything in my dreams, how I had siphoned it for myself. I wanted the power. I needed it. I sensed the earth underneath me; it was warm and inviting; it urged me on and with a flash, I started to siphon the energy into my body. The power was immense, and it was enticing me for more; but soon I sensed nothing left to take, and that’s when I turned to look at Anton. My first thought was to kill Anton. I wanted him to burn, like how my heart felt, with rage toward him. He had broken my heart and taken my only friend. My eyes glared at him. My eyes were burning hot, needing release, and within an instant he was a ball of flame running off. I smiled knowing he would not get far. Then I fell down to Carla. I could sense her life slipping away. “Carla, stay with me. Please don’t leave me. I need you.”
I refused to be the person in my dreams. Carla would not die tonight
, I thought. I had all this energy, but I felt so helpless. That’s when my body reacted on its own accord. This was something new to me, but it urged me to fix what had been wronged. I laid my hands on her like it was second nature; her bloodshot eyes were looking at mine while I focused on her body. There was so much damage I was surprised she was still hanging on. My hands started glowing; something warm and gold came flowing from my hands and into Carla’s body. I remembered this feeling when I drained the oak tree, and I realized I was doing the exact thing but in reverse. I was draining my life force for another’s sake. I knew it was working because I could feel her pulse growing stronger. I pushed with all my might to give her every drop of my energy. As the last bit of my energy went into Carla, I panicked and realized that I might have given too much and I might not make it, like the giant oak tree. Maybe these powers were more dangerous than I had realized. However, in that moment I was happy because I had saved someone who truly deserved to live on. As I fell to the ground, drained and fading fast, I saw shoes and smelt a familiar scent. Then everything went dark.

When I awoke, I was shocked to be alive. I felt like I had been asleep forever. There beside my bed was Carla. She was holding my hand very tightly when she saw my eyes open; she immediately went to press the intercom button to call Lucian. “Selene, you’re all right. Thank goodness. You saved me and hurt yourself, don’t ever do something like that again,” she cried. “What do you mean, Carla? How am I, okay? How long have I been sleeping?” Then I realized what had happened was not a dream. Carla was crying. “It’s been a week, I woke up immediately. Selene, you didn’t, however. Lucian showed up right when I came to. He looked worried, but he assured me you would wake up. It has been a week. Lucian was the one who found us in the garden.” I was shocked. I knew that smell was familiar. I needed to confirm something, however, so I got up and ran out of my room. The distance to the kitchen felt longer, and I began to get dizzy. When I got to the garden, it was no longer a garden but a wasteland of dirt. It was like my dream. I fell to the ground crying. I was a freak; this was all my fault. I felt Carla’s arm around my back hugging me. “Selene, this wasn’t your fault, you did this to protect us.” “I am a freak, Carla, how could you like someone like me?” I pushed her away and ran off. The sky seemed to mimic how I felt. It started to pour as tears rolled down my face. Then I felt someone’s presence. “Carla, don’t look at me.” I realized then that it was not Carla. I was lifted so easily off the ground, and when I looked up to find who it was that picked me up, I saw Lucian. “This is no place for you, Selene, you had us worried. Please rest,” Lucian said. “Lucian, what about the others? Is Jacques okay?” “Selene, he is an undead, the only one who could kill him is me. He is fine, but he needs to recover just like you, so please, for us all, rest and regain your strength.” The crying didn’t stop until the dizziness overwhelmed me and I passed out into his warm arms.

I thought I had awoke after blacking out, but I was in the same forest and lake, just like my previous dream. This time I saw myself in the lake. I wasn’t as beautiful or as wild looking as last time. I looked around and saw a woman in the distance. The woman was me but she was stunning. Her hair was wildly flowing in the wind with this beautiful auburn hue. “Who are you?” I screamed. She smiled to me and said, “The question you seek is what are we.”