Somebody was following her. They had been following her for quite awhile now. She could feel their eyes upon her. Her instincts were breathing down her neck with the telltale sign of goosebumps raising upon her arms. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that somebody was indeed following her.
And they were good. They were truly good at tracking and not being seen, but Briar Devereux was a hunter and predator. She was a master of observation. It was very rare for anybody to sneak up on her and catch her unaware.
In her youth, her speech was robbed from her at the hands of a traumatic experience. Now her speech was flawed. She could no longer rely on verbal communication to get her point across. She had honed her other senses and mastered them. It was to make up for what she lacked.
Her instincts were telling her that she wasn't going to outrun or outsmart her stalker. She refused to be a victim or prey. She would become the hunter. She would become the predator.
When she rounded the corner, she quickly pressed her back against the wall and waited for her stalker to show up. When a figure did turn down the same alley as she expected, she made quick work to get the upperhand. She had swiftly kneed them in the gut before shoving their keeled over body against the wall with force. She dug the dagger into their throat, daring them to counter her.
She wasn't prepared for the soft but very familiar chuckle to escape the stalker. She frowned as her eyes immediately went to amused amethyst eyes. Shocked, she recognized her older brother staring down at her.
"Not losing your touch, I see," Helios teased her while he pushed the dagger away from his throat. "Where was my dear sister so eagerly heading off to?" he questioned while she quickly concealed her dagger into a hidden holster by her hip. "I hope she was on her way to attend the Annual Summit like the rest of her House was doing."
So that was why he was here! They had sent him to fetch here, because they knew she wouldn't come without a fight. Not bothering to deny the truth, she just shrugged her shoulders. "Th-That's Ch-Chloe's terra-terri-tor-ry not m-mine."
"Daddy dearest said all of us needed to attend, dear sister," he reminded her as he crossed his arms while leaning against the wall.
"T-Too c-c-close to jus-just dr-drop my a-assign-m-ment." She swallowed, frustration bubbling inside of her. Embarrassed, her cheeks reddened. She despised verbal conversations. It exposed her greatest weakness.
He nodded his head as if he understood her predicament. "Well, I have a problem then," he told her, pushing himself off the wall. "You're my assignment and my assignment is literally to get you to the Annual Summit." He leaned his head to the side to stretch his neck then stretched his arms. "If we have to duke it out so be it, but both Father and Apollo would flay me alive if I didn't produce the goods."
"I-I am the-the g-g-goods!" she gasped in agitation. She wasn't just some bloody object.
He sighed. "Yes, you should be happy. You're a hot commodity."
"I can-can out-out f-f-fight you, H-Helios," she reminded him as she rolled her eyes.
"But you can't outrun me," he pointed out. She scowled at him. Yes, he could outrun her and track her down effortlessly. "And we can play this game of outsmarting each other. Even if we don't make it to the Annual Summit, because you're too bloody stubborn, I'm certain I'll blow your cover as well." She fixed him with an even darker glare and he put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I don't make the rules. You do. You can either come with me now with the high possibility that your cover stays intact or... we can do it the hard way."
Then there was just silence. She continued to stare at him with a dark scowl and he continued to have his hands up in surrender. She groaned, shaking her head. There was no way around this. If she was Helios' assignment then he would antagonize her until she gave in and went with him.
"F-Fine," she grumbled.
The Annual Summit wasn't that far from her location. It was being hosted in the same province. It would only take a few days before she was able to continue her assignment. At least, it wouldn't be a long duration of time away.
She could do this, right?
She could deal with pompous arrogance and elitest attitudes, right?
Oh, she was doomed. She loathed these types of affairs. She would be so out of her element and her self doubt was already seeping into her bones.
He smirked as he grabbed her arm and yanked her into tight embrace, effectively distracting her from her deep insecurities. "Isn't family reunions a gift that keeps on giving?"
She rolled her eyes. Oh, yes, family reunions were such a wonderful blessing. Instead of fighting him off, she melted into her brother's hug. It had been years since she had seen Helios. She hated to admit, but it was nice to see him again.
~
Caramia already looked stronger, healthier, and more alive. It was all thanks to Orion. She was supposed to be dead. She was supposed to pass on from this world, but here she was, still bedbound until she was ready to take her first steps out of her bedroom. She was still here and she would be stronger than him.
Her now emerald eyes rested upon him as he approached her bed. A weak smile drifted on her face. She no longer was a part of his House, but she would always be his family. Orion had stepped out monetarily to arrange for his luggage to be prepared for the Annual Summit. Caleb hadn't wanted to intrude on their time together, but with this small window time, he needed to see her for himself.
"Are you angry with me?" they both asked each other at the same time. Just like that, they dissolved into laughter. He knew everything would be okay.
"I'm not angry with you," he promised her as their laughter faded and a more serious atmosphere took over. "I know you wanted to die. You said you were ready for it."
She sighed, giving him a sad smile. "I'm not angry with you," she echoed his words. "I guess in a way, I got what I wanted, right? I captured his attention..." she drifted off and her eyes dropped to the duvet. "But for how long?"
Her question startled him. She didn't understand the implications of her turning. She didn't understand the gravity of what Orion's actions meant. He was certain she understood that Orion's high status and blood purity that he didn't take sharing his blood lightly. What was going through her mind and heart not to know that Orion wouldn't leave her for anyone or anything now?
"You are the only two have the same blood right now," he reminded her and she sighed once again.
"He said that as well."
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you doubt him?"
"I'm not his mate, Caleb," she pointed out.
"Yet," he corrected her. She froze and frowned at that. "What exactly did Orion tell you?"
"The same thing you did," she whispered. She chewed her bottom lip. He could feel her doubts and insecurities before she looked up at him. Tears shimmered in her eyes. "But I remember that night he slammed the door in my face. I remember it like a neverending nightmare. It haunts me. I-I'm afraid that once the dust has settled that everything will come quite clear."
Caleb took a deep breath. "What will be quite clear?"
"Caleb, I was meant to die," she whispered to him and his heart twisted at that. "I was meant to die, because my body wasn't strong enough. My blood wasn't pure enough to function correctly. I will always be inadequate." Her fingers curled into her duvet as she nervously looked around the room. "They will always know I'm inadequate and lacking."
"You're not--"
"I am," she told him. Her eyes pinned him in place. "He'll realize that. He will, Caleb. I'll still be that stupid, pathetic girl who should've known better, watching him yet again shut the door in my face." She took a deep breath, letting a few tears fall down her cheeks. "I'll-I'll enjoy my time with him. I'll have the memories of the taste of his blood and the secrets he whispered me through his blood."
He wanted to shake her to tell her that wouldn't happen. Orion wouldn't abandon her. He wouldn't. He couldn't. The desperation and pain Orion expressed was so fresh in his mind. Orion wasn't the type to give into those types of emotions. He was always calm and collected. He was a sarcastic by default -- ruthless even. He was powerful and nobody got under his skin... except Caramia.
She was the only one to shake Orion to the core. She was the only one to get him to break his rules.
"It's beyond that point," Caleb remarked, waiting for her eyes to meet his. "Caramia, he knew exactly what he was getting into the moment he stepped into my estate. He knew before leaving downtown Crown what he was devoting himself to."
Her eyes narrowed. "Because I was dying." She smirked a scarily similar smirk that he was taken aback by the familiarity. "I'm not dying now. There is no threat now." He watched more tears fall. "He'll leave. He'll leave me again."
His eyes spotted the bite mark on her shoulder that hadn't healed. That mark was all he needed to know the truth. Orion had indeed started the mating ritual and Caramia never understood the significance. That mark was a vampire's an engagement ring. Most of the time, the mark wouldn't be uncompleted, but this was special circumstances and he was glad that Orion hadn't pushed it.
"You still have a lot to learn about vampire affairs," he told her gently, noticing the exhaustion showing on her face and body. "You should rest. All you need to do is rest right now."
Caramia nodded, leaning back until her head rested on her pillows. Her eyes fluttered shut and he waited a few moments until he knew she was asleep. Quietly, he left her room. As he was shutting the door, he froze as he met emerald eyes before him.
Orion stepped forward to peek into the room for a moment before he gently pushed the door shut. Caleb waited until he turned back to him.
"She's haunted by that night."
"I know," Orion told him. "I saw it in her blood. I will forever be haunted by you telling me she was going to die before morning." He shut his eyes and shuddered as if he was reliving those moments. "It's beyond the point of no return. Persephone was the one to find me," he admitted and Caleb's eyes widened at that. "She recognized the truth. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't known what to do. She's the one that set everything in motion. I left my father's townhouse with both their blessings."
Persephone had been the one... his heart clenched. She recognized the truth. What had he meant by that? Orion smirked as if he knew exactly what he was hung up on.
"Yes, Caleb, she recognized the type of nightmare I was going through," he told him. "My sister was the one that realized exactly what I was going through when my entire world was shattering around me. She knew instantly what it meant."
The words twisted in his heart, making it difficult to breathe. Orion gave him a look before he did the one thing he never did. Orion returned to Caramia to help pick up the pieces. It was Reginald that picked up Persephone's pieces and he could never forgive himself for that, but the other option would've made him a monster.
If only they could understand the truth, he did it to keep the High House of Cristos from falling apart. He did it for her.