Aster:
All the women in the room turned and looked at her. “What?” Aster asked nervously, her eyes darting around.
“Get to work,” Matthew barked.
Samuel had already left to fetch Elizabeth and the blood. “I’m sorry…they just don’t really know you yet. You never had a chance--”
“I know, Lucy explained.”
“Are you two getting along?”
“Yes,” Aster said with a smile. “I really like her.”
Matthew looked pleased. “Good…she is a first bride, like you. First brides need each other.”
For a moment, they worked in silence. Aster went into the kitchen with Matthew, ripping the heavy stainless steel prep tables out of the floor, piling them up on one side to carry into the restaurant later. “That thing you did yesterday? Reading the Russians’ minds or whatever….How did you do it?”
Aster smiled. “I didn’t really do anything. One of my ancestors showed up to warn me, and she pointed them out to me. That whole b
Declan:“Declan!”“What?” he croaked, grabbing his pounding head.Matthew stood over him, a look of concern on his face. “Where is Aster?”Declan was suddenly wide awake. He bolted upright and looked at the spot where his bride was supposed to be. “I should ask you that. Weren’t you standing guard? How did she get past you?”“Well, obviously we fell asleep.”“For fuck’s sake, Matthew,” Declan said and grabbed his sword.“Is she in danger?” Lucy asked.“Not that I can tell, but she doesn’t always have the common sense to know when she’s in danger.”“Let me go get her,” Matthew offered, “I can handle the daylight better than you.”“No,” Declan said. “She’s not far. I can feel her. Stay in here, look after the others.”&ld
CHAPTER 86 Declan – Part two: The panic threatened to overwhelm Declan. “Vampires?” “It can’t be, but yes. They’re just standing there, looking at her. Is she afraid?” “Not even a little.” “Well, I’m not gonna lie, brother, I’m shitting myself right about now. Are we fighting or what?” “No,” Declan said, “I’m gonna lie right here until I can’t feel her anymore.” “Why?” “Because, I can barely keep my defences up…if I walk out there, I won’t be able to keep blocking her – she’ll feel me, and she’ll worry about me. It’ll weaken her” “What is she going to do? Evaporate them like she did with Armand?” “I haven’t got the foggiest.” Even in the house, they could feel it. Their air hummed with her power. Every hair on his body stood upright, and even Matthew decided to step away from the window. He sat next to Declan, gazing up at Cassidy who still stood there, looking confused. “What ar
Aster: Aster woke violently. Limbs flailing wildly, heart hammering, she bit back a scream just in time. She dreamed about the dead vampires, their bodies sizzling and slowly decomposing in the sun. She walked between them, turning them over one at a time. Each of them was someone she knew and loved – her family, slowly melting away to nothing. Her head ached, her body screamed in pain, and the thirst burned her throat like a furnace. Sitting upright, she looked around her. She was once again in some kind of room with walls made from roughly cut stone. At least this time, she was on a soft bed and the room was big and open. Several pieces of ancient furniture decorated the room, but the grey walls were bare of any traditional artwork, instead heavy tapestries depicting violent scenes hung against the walls. Instead of electrical lights, the room was lit with old-fashioned oil lamps and flickering torches against the wall, like the dungeon bac
Aster – Part two:It was a beautiful cloudless night, with a full moon lighting their way. The garden was wild and unkempt, the lawn overgrown; trees and plants growing out of control, breaking through stone, reclaiming what had once been theirs.They landed next to a clear stream, diamonds sparkling on the water. The air was quiet, apart from their breathing nothing disturbed the night. “It’s the spell,” Declan said, as he put everything on a flat rock next to the water. “It keeps everything away, even animals. Can you feel it?”She did. A deep feeling of unease wrapped around her, and she had to fight the urge to run away. The whole place just felt wrong.“You get used to it,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head.Aster followed suit, stripping down to her underwear, and walking into the stream without thinking twice. The freezing water wrapped around her as she slipped beneath
Declan: Aster was close to hysterical when Declan returned. She sat off to the side, folding the material of the little dress she wore between her hands, staring off into the distance – although, by now he knew she wasn’t looking at nothing. The back of her dress was soaked through from her wet hair, but she barely noticed. The two elders seemed completely unaware of just how close their elemental was to breaking. “They’re on their way,” he said, and calmly walked over to his bride. He took her hand in his, and gave her a questioning look, hoping he could feel something from her, anything, apart from the panic that threatened to break out of her chest. Even if he knew nothing else about her, he’d still know she’d rather be anywhere else but this room. “Do we need to be here?” Declan asked. “Of course,” Rowan said, clearly agitated, “she’s an important part of the plan.” “I have a plan,” Aster said, and the two elders turned th
Aster: At sunrise, they descended to the forest floor. A deep, dark mist hung over the entire forest, and while all of them could feel the effects of the rising sun, the rays couldn't penetrate the heavy canopy and thick mist. “It’s not far now,” Rowan said. “Can you feel it?” he turned to Aster. She nodded. The closer they came to the circle, the worse she felt. It was like the place pulled at her insides, urging her on, telling her to come closer. All the vampires felt it, and all of them were quiet and pale. Lucy sat with her head in her hands, moaning softly, “I don’t know if I want to run towards it or away from it.” Lydia put her arm around Lucy. She was the only one of Rowan’s brides who joined him – he didn’t want to bring the others, but wouldn’t offer up a reason why. “Away is always better,” Eros said, landing next to Matthew’s bride, “this place is evil. A lot of dark magic happened here.” “What are you doing?” As
Declan: They crouched outside the circle just inside the treeline. The clearing appeared to be empty, but they could feel the magical shield around the place. Eros very quietly told them it wasn’t the same one the first witch had cast. It wasn’t a protection spell. It was something completely different, much stronger. “Can you break it?” Eros whispered to Aster. “I don’t know. I’ll try.” She hovered her hand in the air and pushed forward, it didn’t go through the invisible barrier. The energy built up around her, and he felt a whoosh of hot air. Aster shook her head. “Well, that didn’t work,” she sounded amused, instead of afraid. “How are we going to get through?” Declan asked. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I am going to try love. It’s stronger than hate.” “Love doesn’t kill.” “But it can break spells.” She smiled at him. The energy he felt from her this time was completely different. Warm, like the hate wave (as
Aster: Her heart beating wildly, Aster stepped past the treeline and into the clearing. Cyrus gasped and took several steps backwards, looking around wildly as if trying to find an escape. “There you are,” the witch said, her tone sweet. “Here I am,” Aster said, resisting the urge to look back to her family. Smiling broadly, the witch started walking towards her, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers. Aster didn’t move, she was hyper-focused on Cyrus. God, how she hated that man. “Why are you afraid of me?” she asked him. “Am I not what you wanted?” She cocked her head, giving him her sweetest smile. “You killed my mother, almost killed me, because you wanted one like me. Well, here I am.” “He’s weak. A coward,” the witch said. “All men are at their core, even vampire men.” Not mine, Aster thought with a smile. Just thinking about them filled her with so much love that she thought she would burst wide