39. Chapter Thirty-Nine - Sen
Chapter Thirty-Nine - Sen
Istroll towards our ruined kitchen, but before I approach the entryway, I find Rurik leaning against the wall. The sun catches his blond hair and sharp blue eyes, and I’m reminded that my brother is actually attractive when he’s not drunk off his ass.
Not that I blame him. I understand that now more than ever.
It was a terrible way to learn.
“Brother.” I stand before him.
Rurik glances at me, relaxed with his hands tucked into his jeans. “I’m leaving.”
“So soon?”
“Being here is…” Rurik looks beyond my shoulder. His smile is heartbreaking. “Difficult.”
I think back to when he’d lost Apollo, I hadn’t been there but returned when Vidar called me. Rurik had been a mess; he didn’t move from the place where he buried Apollo for weeks, and even after he left, it was like his spirit stayed behind.
To think Apollo had been alive that whole time…
I should’ve done more to help Rurik. “I’m sorry I left when you needed me most.”
The corner of his lip ticks up, and he neither forgives nor faults me. “Apollo still doesn’t remember me, not really. And I don’t want him to.”
Only a few weeks ago, when Apollo helped Kai turn into a vampire, Apollo revealed the horrifying truth—remembering Rurik forces him to remember being alive, unmoving and trapped inside the coffin that his beloved soulmate buried him in.
My anger at Bran for allowing this to happen swells hot in my chest.
I want to tell my brother the truth, but that would do nothing but cause more harm.
“What made you come back, anyway?” I ask.
Rurik looks at me like the answer is simple, before clapping my shoulder, pushing himself up and strolling down the semi-destroyed hallway, towards the hole that used to be the entrance to the mansion. “See you around, asshole.”
I can’t imagine the gulf between Rurik and Apollo will ever shrink, so while I know that Rurik will never forgive himself, I hope that by keeping this awful secret, my brother can find a way to move on.
When I enter the kitchen, I see why Rurik didn’t want to come in. Apollo is perched atop the pockmarked island, wearing a punk T-shirt and tattered jeans, his neck and arms covered in forget-me-not tattoos.
“You’ll never guess what Luuk did while the studio’s been closed?” he laughs with his audience of Kai, Golden and Ramy. “He got bloody married to Ari!”
“What?” Kai chuckles. “Good on them.”
“No way, I can’t believe we missed it,” Golden complains.
Apollo swings his feet, excited. “In fucking Las Vegas, lads. We missed out big time.”
“We have to call him,” Golden declares, and the three of them hurry out of the kitchen.
“You aren’t going with them?” I ask Ramy.
Ramy loosely folds his arms. “Later,” he says, and looks to the other side of the kitchen. “I think some other things need to be discussed first.”
On the bench, behind the smashed window, sits Bran chugging a glass of blood, surrounded by at least five empty bottles and two full ones. Luc stands on one side of him, Vidar on the other.
The ancient vampire sets his glass on the table. “Can’t a man recover before he’s interrogated?”
“We’ve waited long enough,” Vidar remarks.
“And we’ve been patient,” I tell him as I approach, swiping one of his bottles to fill Teagan’s mug.
Bran sighs dramatically as he pours himself a fresh glass. “Ask your little questions.”
“You can touch the First Blood Mage Tome.” Luc stares Bran down. “How?”
The spellbook currently sits outside, the stink of rot too cloying. Curiously, it hasn’t tried to find its way back to its current owner, Summer, like it normally would. Like it did when Kai owned it. Perhaps Summer is dead.
But we all know better than that.
“Isn’t the answer obvious?” Bran chuckles darkly, then takes a healthy gulp of blood.
The answer is obvious, but too ridiculous to say aloud.
Vidar says through clenched teeth, “The First Blood Mage Tome was created by skinning an ancient, powerful supernatural alive. And they did it willingly.”
Bran smirks, amused.
“You can touch it,” I say slowly, disgusted, “because it is you.”
Ramy releases a long puff of air like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “The blood mages are vampires’ greatest enemy and…”
“You helped create them.” The words leave Vidar like an anvil.
“Oops?” Bran offers, licking his lips.
I can’t help it; the truth of it is all too much. A laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Can this family get any more fucked?”
Bran chuckles as if this is all one big joke as he stands. He is not a disapproving, but overall loving father, like Vidar. He’s certainly no brother. As he looks at us all in turn, he reminds me of Fate—to him, we are pawns to amuse him. Or to get him what he wants.
“I will do anything for my soulmate. You sit around, declaring all the terrible things you’d do for yours,” he says in that singsong way of his.
He downs his glass of blood, throat bobbing as he swallows. Then tosses it out the window to smash with little care.
“Well, I have done all those terrible things. And would again and again and—” Bran’s jaw ticks, a crack in his armour. Or sanity. Then he straightens with a bone-chilling grin. “I will not be denied what is mine.”
I share a glance with Vidar, Luc and Ramy—Bran cannot be trusted.
Bran sees this, and he doesn’t care. He claps once, shaking his shoulders in an excited little shimmy. “Now, I’m still hungry. I’m off out to find myself a better snack.”
“What are you going to do about the tome?” I ask.
“I could hide it under the floorboards. I did that once with a ruby brooch.” With that, Bran leaves without a care.
No one stops him. I’m not sure any of us know how.
“Well.” I cock an eyebrow. “Nice to know he’s still fucking terrifying.”
“Is that all you have to say?” Ramy argues. “He just admitted to…”
“And there is nothing we can do about it,” Vidar tells Ramy, stepping over to our youngest and stroking his hair behind his ear. “Apart from keeping quiet about it. Understood?”
After a beat, Ramy sighs, defeated, then walks away to join the mates. Luc looks at us, a wrinkle between his brow, before following Ramy.
“We’re going to kill Summer, correct?” I ask Vidar.
He folds his arms, staring after the others with a frown. “She’s the demon’s problem now.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“We can’t get into their realm even if I wanted us to. Which I do not.” He looks to me. “We’ve been through enough, Sen. It’s time to move on.”
“Away from the city? Teagan and Kai won’t like that.”
Vidar doesn’t say anything, but I feel the weight of our family on his shoulders. “We’ve been through enough,” he repeats, then leaves to follow the voice of his mate.
A part of me doesn’t want to give up so easily, and I know neither does Vidar. Or Luc, for that matter. But more than anything, I want to protect Teagan from further damage. And I know that’s where Luc and Vidar’s minds are.
I leave the kitchen, distracted by images of ripping Summer to shreds, when my phone rings as I walk up the stairs, towards Teagan’s raspy laughter.
Seeing the familiar name, I answer with a sly, “Hello there, Detective Kate Donovan.”
“Sen,” she replies as if I’ve already annoyed her.
“How are things at the station?”
“Well, all the zombies and Emma vanished.”
My grin widens at the clear frustration in her voice. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Grey and Astra were kind enough to clean up that mess.
“How are those compelled officers?” Since Luc got Golden back, he’s been teaching his mate how to control his talent.
He surprised us all and horrified himself when he managed to compel Luc.
Though it only stuck for a few seconds, giving Golden enough time to overthink and swear off the whole thing.
“Slack-jawed and stupid,” Kate answers. “So the same as before.”
I laugh. “Good to hear.”
“And that soulmate of yours?”
I lean against the door, breathing in the scent just behind it. “Good.”
Kate huffs out a long breath. “I think I’m done with the supernatural for now.”
“I can always make you forget,” I tease.
“Don’t even try it,” she shoots back.
Sobering, I tell her, “Thank you for all you did, Kate.”
She pauses. “Are you leaving?”
I push open the door to find Teagan pinning Elio down, who looks both annoyed and delighted. “Yes. Soon.”
There’s a long beat of silence on the other end. Long enough that if not for the subtle uptick of the Detective’s breathing, I might’ve assumed she hung up. “I’ll be seeing you then, Sen.”
“Goodbye, detective,” I tell Kate, unsure if we’ll ever meet again and slip my phone back into my pocket. “A pile of pretty boys? Is it my birthday?”
“Maybe.” Teagan blinks at Elio. “You up for it?”
Elio rolls off the bed, then jumps to his feet. “You’re both so annoying,” he grumbles as he storms out, his cheeks a cute shade of pink.
Teagan sits up, grinning, and I hand him his drink.
He downs it, sets it on the table, then grabs my shirt and pulls me down for a kiss. “Hey, slick.”
My heart lifts, the back of my eyes burn. I nearly lost this. Nearly lost him.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I kneel before him, kissing the insides of his wrist. “We think Summer got her wish; she’s in the demon realm.”
“At least I’m not tethered to her anymore,” Teagan replies with great relief.
I rest my head in his lap, his fingers carding through my hair, and for a long time we rest together.
Finally, no one is chasing us or hurting us.
As the cool breeze filters through the open windows, fluttering the sheer drapes, I find peace beside my Teagan.
Comfort. Love. So much love that even the sun cannot match in how much I bask in it.
“Do you think I’m strong enough to jump out the window?”
It doesn’t last, and I love that we can have both.
“I do not,” I say, chuckling as I stand. “But I am. Climb onto my back.”
Grinning wildly, Teagan’s large, curious eyes sparkle as he scrambles on. I take us to the floor-length window and ask, “Ready?”
Teagan pulls out his phone and sends a quick text. “This is going to be so much fun.”
I glance at my soulmate over my shoulder. His curls spill around his face, the light draped across his smooth skin like a kiss. He is my home, my peace, my everything. “Every day with you, sweetheart, is going to be perfect.”
Teagan pushes his face into mine, smiling. “I can’t wait, slick.”
Then I jump out the window, much to Teagan’s sheer delight, just as Kai steps outside the mansion, muttering, “Why did Teagan text me to come here?” Then Kai lets out a startled yell when we land.
“Fuck’s sake, Teagan!” Kai snaps, slapping a laughing Teagan on his arm. “Don’t do that!”
“Teagan, please stop scaring your brother,” Vidar drawls, draping his arms around his fuming mate.
“Are we scaring Kai?” Golden asks, bounding out of the mansion, tugging Luc with him.
“Fuck yes, I’m in, lads!” Apollo shouts, jumping on Golden’s back.
“Why are we scaring Kai?” Ramy asks.
“Dickheads, the lot of you,” Kai grumbles. “Especially you, Teagan!”
I grin as Teagan buries his face into my neck and vibrates with silent laughter.
Perfect. Every day is going to be perfect—
A tower of flame bursts from between the iron gates.
I let go of Teagan and shove him further back.
Luc and Vidar bolt forward, the three of us shielding the others as the flame grows wide. Larger. Hotter. Into the shape of a passage—or a door.
“Summer?” Luc growls.
“Maybe,” I bite out.
“Just be ready,” Vidar orders us.
Through the flames, a figure emerges. I grit my teeth, chest heaving as a tall, slim man with glasses perched on his nose and black ram horns curving up from his forehead steps out.
On the left side of his face are swirling tattoo-like runes.
His clothes are immaculate: tailored trousers, an amber silk shirt and a thin gold chain connected to the slim legs of his round glasses.
“Is that a…” Luc trails off.
“A demon,” I finish.
“The Haraldsson Vampire Family?” he asks with the tone of someone who doesn’t like to waste time.
“Who’s asking?” Vidar demands.
The demon slides to the side, his posture straight, his gaze bored. “Allow me to introduce you to Demon Prince Maddox.”
The flames flare out like a pair of reaching hands. Then the prince himself steps through.
Prince Maddox is large, bigger even than Vidar. His moss-green eyes scan us as a warrior searches for weaknesses. He has muscles on top of muscles, all wrapped in simple black clothing. Yet it’s his horns that are the most impressive and intimidating thing about him.
They’re set on his forehead, brown like tree bark with a gold and emerald chain wrapped around the length that’s as thick as a wrist, tapering until they end in deadly points. His dark hazel hair is pushed away from a face that could be handsome, if he wasn’t scowling.
“Why are you here?” Vidar’s voice is a sledgehammer.
But Prince Maddox, it seems, is cut from the same cloth—or armour—as my Maker. He stares down Vidar, an immovable object clashing with an unstoppable force. I’m not sure who’ll win.
“You’ve sent a murderous little mage to my door.” The demon prince’s voice is hard as granite and rough as sandpaper.
“Not like we had much choice,” Vidar barks back.
Maddox opens his mouth to say something, and from the way his lip snarls up, I doubt it’s anything friendly.
But then he frowns, his thick eyebrows pulling tight in my direction.
“You,” his deep baritone cuts through me. “I know you…”
“I don’t think so,” I bite back.
But the prince shakes his head. “We’ve met before…”
Before I can say anything else, Ramy pushes past me, his chest heaving as he stares, wide-eyed and hopeful, at Maddox and says one single word: “Soulmate.”
A slow, dangerous grin spreads across the Demon Prince’s face.