Kade took a deep breath as Rhay disappeared from the room and returned his attention to loading his weapons from his weapon trunk that was stashed at the foot of the bed. He paused for a moment at the sight of the tangled sheets that lay twisted there. Only a couple of hours ago they had pushed this shit from their minds and enjoyed one another. He wished he could bring that moment back and pause it forever. Pushing the thought away, he strapped two guns to his hips, along with his standard issue Black Dagger sword and began loading up his automatic rifle and strapping additional firepower to his chest. If any of Suzerhain's goons thought they were going to lay a finger on his mate they had another thing coming to them.
A pounding came to his door and he instinctively raised the rifle to it, only to have Saxon open it and raise his hands at the sight. "It's just me." Kade lowered his gun. "Rhage just called, he and BJ have Murhder and they are bringing him in. Suzerhain is still unaccounted for. They should be back in a few minutes and we can question him about his involvement with the lessers and Lash. I've called your father and additional support are on their way. Blaylock, Quinn, Tohrment, and Zsadist are working on dematerializing here now while a small group of soldiers are loading up a convoy to bring Murhder back to Caldwell. I figured you would want to be there for the questioning." Kade looked to the spot that Rhay had disappear from and shook his head.
"When my female gets back, I want to be waiting. Go ahead with out me and fill me in later. The rest of the brothers should be here within half and hour I would imagine. Hold him until then."
"As you wish," Saxon said and left, closing the door behind him. Kade paced the room anxiously, wondering what Rhay was seeing, and in what condition she would return in.
************************************************************
Rhay felt her gut drop and heart soar as she saw Vishous before her. His had was gone but his deadly air still hovered around him. She raced to him and reached out, to have her hand pass through him. V looked down at her, and shook his head. "I'm not alive Rhay, you can't touch me." The sinking feeling returned as if she found him dead all over again.
"But then how-"
"He is my son," the Scribe Virgin said. "I brought him here to offer to heal his body but he has refused me."
"I've lived for centuries in this body I have and I'm not going to stop just because I died in it," V spit back. "Rhay listen there isn't much time. I haven't regained enough strength yet to pass through to your world yet, but I will. I just need more time. But they can't go through with the Fade ceremony. If they do, my soul will pass along and I wont be able to travel between worlds. You have to call Butch and tell them to stop. Do you understand?" Rhay nodded and said,
"I'm so sorry Lash and Malina did this to you." V's eyes darken and he said.
"You've got it right about Lash, but Malina wasn't the one helping him, nor was Murhder. We've had it all wrong from the start."
"You don't have much time child," the Scribe Virgin said. Reaching into her sleeve she grabbed a scroll, a wax seal with her symbol sealing it. "Take this and give it to Saxon. It is a proclamation of your innocence, along with the explanation of who was responsible for the murders. It will free your name and prove your innocence, explaining all you have seen here." Rhay took the scroll but never took her eyes off V.
"Tell me who did this to you. Who's working with Lash?" V leaned down and muttered the name in her ear, sending her head spiraling out of control.
***************************************************
"You're all idiots," Murhder shouted from the chair he was bound to. "All of you. I have nothing to do with any of this!" BJ, Rhage, and Saxon where all standing around him, guns drawn.
"We will figure it all out Murhder. Just stay comfy huh?" Rhage said. BJ's phone started ringing for the fourth time and Rhage finally rolled his eyes. "Will you just check it already? I've got my scope on him, he moves I will pop him." BJ lowered the gun reluctantly and pulled the device from his pocket. Three missed called from Soreen and one incoming from her now. He answered it and her voice was hysterical on the other end.
"BJ where are you? The Charleston police just started assembling, talking about taking everyone in for treason. BJ, they said they are going to arrest me for affiliating with you and the others. What is going on?"
"There's been a misunderstanding, it's going to be alright."
"They took my sister BJ," she cried. "They said if I don't come in right now they will arrest her too. BJ please, what is going on, you have to tell me. Please I don't want them to hurt her."
"Where are you, I will come to get you as soon as I can."
"I'm hiding in the old sugar mill on the west end of the town. Please BJ, I'm so scared. I don't want any one else to get hurt."
The front door opened and Quinn, Blay, Tohr, and Zsadist all barged in, drawing guns and surrounding Murhder. "Reinforcements just arrived. I'm coming to get you now. Just stay put and keep out of sight."
"I love you BJ," she whispered. His heart skipped a beat at her words and scared tone.
"I love you too. Everything will be fine. I will be there soon." He regretted hanging up as he loaded his gun in the holster. "They are threatening Soreen and her family. I'm going to get them to safety and I will be back." The males nodded and and he left out the front door, vanishing into the night.
"So, let's be straight with one another," Tohr said standing in front of Murhder. "I'm going to ask you a question, and you better give me the fucking truthful answer. Are you working with the lessers?"
"Let me answer your question with a question, are you as much of a moron as you look? Because from where I'm sitting all of you are completely idiotic. Why would I warn you about an uprising if I was leading it?"
"You didn't tell us, Rhay did."
"Who do you think gave her the idea? Gave her a map, taught her to read it. Gave her a photo of dear old dad, just to give her something to do?" He spit at Tohr's feet. "You're all as worthless as I remember you." Zsadist punched him square in the jaw and Quinn pulled him back.
"Watch yourself," Z growled. Murhder began laughing, a slow laugh at first before it turned to a full on belly laugh, psychotic and cackling.
"Oh Z, that's all I ever do. I watch out for me. Number one. You think I helped his daughter through the transition out of the kindness of my heart?" he said nodding to Rhage. "Please. Who wouldn't want to sink their fangs into that neck," he licked his lips and Rhage spung forward. The other reluctantly stopped him, opting to leave him in one piece even though they couldn't helping thinking he deserved it. Murhder continued, "No, I always look out for number one. Rhay was a play piece. Something to keep my busy when I got bored. If I wanted an uprising I could have done it years ago. Nah, ruling a bunch of idiots like you doesn't appeal to me."
A banging came from the door before it burst open. The brothers looked to the threat, guns drawn and Murhder took the moment to kick his leg out, tripping Z. He threw himself down to the floor, still tied to the chair and kneed Z in the face, stunning him long enough to twist around and grab the knife he knew was in his boot, happy to know the male's habits never died. He turned it around and began cutting the rope as the vampire police of Charleston demanded they drop their weapons. Quinn dove for him but not before he got one arm free, sending the knife into the male's collar bone. Blay redirected his gun to Murhder and let off a round sending the room into a frenzy of shouts and gun fire. Murhder freed his other hand before taking off towards the hallway. Rhage and Z chased after him while the rest of the brother ducked behind furniture and walls, trying to avoid the spray of bullets that where coming at them.
*******************************************************
Kade heard the shouting and gun fire, and he shot up from the chair and ducked behind the dresser he had moved to the center of far side of the room closest to the bathroom. The bed and nightstands had been turned up on it's side and pressed against the door, preventing anyone from barging into the room. He kept his rifle steadied on top of the dresser and looked back and forth from the blocked door to the window. While they were on the third floor, he was prepared from a rooftop attack. Someone pounded against the door, trying to open it and Kade trained his gun to the spot. "Kade it's Murhder. Listen to me. Open the door. You need to hear the truth." Kade remained upmoving as he heard fist his flesh and grunting.
"Kade, is Rhay there?" Rhage's voice came.
"No, she's still on the other side."
"Let me go!" Murhder shouted. "You all have no idea what you're doing!"
Rhay appeared before Kade's eyes, dead center in the room. Her face was ghostly white and her limbs were shaking. She was holding a scroll in one and hand the pearls in the other. Her head snapped up when she heard the commotion outside. Kade lowered his gun and ran to her, getting between her and the door, raising it again at the commotion outside and looked down at her, wrapping his left arm around her waist. "What did you see?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"Kade..." she trailed off. She began shaking her head before the realization of what was taking place around her hit. "Open the door. Murhder's innocent." She broke away and tossed the scroll and pearls onto the dresser, the began pushing the furniture out of the way of the door.
"You're sure?" Kade asked, helping her move it out of the way.
"Dad, let Murhder go. He's not involved with them. He's innocent, stop!" They shoved the bed out of the way and the door flew open, Murhder shoving his way inside, his lip and face bloodied and swollen. "The book," she said frantically to Kade. "Where did you put my mother's book?" Furiously opening drawers she scoured the room. Kade pulled it from the backpack that was pushed into the closet and Rhay grabbed it greedily from his hands.
The shouting increased and footsteps thundered up the stairs, the gunfire making it's way towards the room. Rhay flipped to the back cover and pulled a sharp letter opener from the open drawer of a nightstand. She laid it down carefully and began cutting into the thin paper. "Want to explain what's going on here Rhay?" Kade asked. "What did you see?" She grabbed the scroll and handed it to Rhage. "Give this to Saxon. Suzerhain killed my mother and ordered lessers to kill those three vampires. He's leading them and planning an attack against Wrath to take over Caldwell. Murhder had nothing to do with it. We have to get this to Sax and get Suzerhain in custody. And tell him to stop V's Fade ceremony! Now! They can't complete it!"
"Rhay if they don't complete-"
"Do it!" she shouted and returned her attention to the book while her father dialed Wrath. She finished cutting away the panel and lifted lifted the corner back, revealing crisp white paper underneath. Pulling out the letter her blood roared in her ears. She stood in front of Kade who was looking at the book and letter confused. "My mother wrote this, the night she was killed."
"Freeze!" they heard from the doorway. Rhay never took her eyes off Kade as she stood in front of him. They all raised their guns at the police who were ordering them to put down the weapons and surrender themselves. Rhay wrapped her free arm around Kade's torso and felt his gun in the back of his jeans. She slowly took it out as they stared at one another, his gun still raised and trained at the police.
"She loved me, Kade. My mother loved me. I'm going back. We missed it. It was under our noses and we missed it." She hugged the book and letter to her chest and silently raised the gun. "I have to know." A tear fell down her cheek and he wiped it away with his free hand.
"Do what you have to do, leelan. I will be right behind you." She fired the gun at the window, shattering the glass that was lined with a thin steel mesh, allowing her space to dematerialize out. Kade began shooting at the police as she vanished through the window. Resisting the urge to look back for Kade she materialized to her mother's house and raced into the door.
The blood was gone but the feeling of death still hung heavily. Running to the library she threw open the door and shut them behind her. Laying the book down she walked briskly to the column and tried to find the switch that would release the top but it was no where to be found. The door behind her opened and Kade entered and shut them again. "What are you looking for?" he asked.
"In the temple I saw her open this column. She had a phone with pictures of Suzerhain, Lash and lessers. I don't know what else is on there but it could lead us to where they are hiding." They looked over every inch and found no way for it to open.
"Let's just smash it and break it open," Kade said frustrated.
"What if it damages the contents? We don't know what else is in there." She sat on the small couch frustrated and rubbed her temples, trying to remember how her mother opened it. The book sitting on the side table caught her attention and she thought back. Her mother had placed the book on the stand and replaced the glass.
Without a word, Rhay repeated the actions and looked around. The weight from the book and the glass pushed a small switch out from the back of the column and Rhay pressed it, hearing a small click. She and Kade looked at one another before carefully lifting the top of the column off. Peering inside they saw an old iPhone, a camera, and a mold that had an indent of a key. Kade pressed the power button and was relieve when it powered on. "The code is 0803," Rhay said as she eyed the letter, still folded up, sitting on the table. Kade watched as she eyed it and started to back away.
"I'm going to look through this. Take your time. I will be on the other side of the door." He left silently and Rhay sat on the couch, staring at the paper for what felt like an hour before she reached out a shaky hand and grabbed it. Opening it she felt a sharp pain in her chest seeing her mother' familiar handwriting, the cursive perfectly balanced and precise.
My Dearest Child,
Words, written or spoken, cannot begin to express the grief I feel today. I have once against pushed you away, giving you one more reason to hate me. And why shouldn't you? I've never allowed you once to know the kindness in the world, because I fear the kindness has vanished. I watch you sitting on the beach, allowing the cool water of the ocean to wipe away the tears I wish I hadn't caused. There is nothing I can say that could even allow you to forgive me for the things I have done. Nor could I ever truly ask your forgiveness because I cannot forgive myself. I just hope that one day, when we live in a kinder and safer world, I can explain to you all that has happened. If you are reading this, then sadly, I never got that chance.
By now, my smart brave girl, you must know of the dangers that have been plaguing our society and that Suzerhain has been at the wheel of the ship, steering it as the captain, heading for rougher seas. He is a snake and a scoundrel and his mere presence make's my blood boil and my skin crawl. I pray to the mother of the race you never know men like he. The only thing that keeps my going in my quest to discover the truth is you. Hoping that one day you can walk freely among our kind and be loved by them, accepted by them. You were and have always been such a strong willed child, curious about the world and resistant to those who curb your deisre for knowledge and exploration. It is what I admire most. But it is what caused us such heartache.
Truly I should have known better than to bring you into a world that has no compassion. They do not accept you for the gift you are and it breaks my heart the threats they have made against you. I will never stop trying to protect you. I've just never known how. I thought hardening you to the world, keeping you at a distance, and making you wary of all those around you would keep you safe. But all I have done, I fear, is turn you into that which I am trying to protect you from. If you are reading this, I hope that I did not fail you. I hope you are safe, and happy, and I pray that I have not ruined your spirit. For the heart and soul that beats within you shines as bright as the noon sun we try so hard to block out. You are the best thing I have ever done, and I would choose to have you over and over again if I could.
I love you Rhaylynn. More than you could ever imagine. If you are reading this, I hope I told you, at least once that you can recall by memory, that I love you. And if there is not a time when you can recall my love for you, or any fondness or passion, then I am deserving of the death that has kept me from it. I can never expect your forgiveness and I will never ask. If I receive it, it will be my second greatest treasure, second only to you.
-Adelynn
Her mother's signature was blurred as the tears soaked the paper in her hands. Hugging the paper to her chest, she laid down on the couch and wept.