Chapter Twenty Three
I stared at the ceiling, my eyes blurring at how focused I was trying to be. Rowan sent people to watch over Bria and my old foster family. Another meeting will be held tonight to decide if we should try to ambush tomorrow.
The fact that we don't have it narrowed down is risky. We would have to split our best people in half, and that damages the odds of being able to beat whoever comes to kill the innocent people.
A knock took me from my thoughts. I stayed where I was, but opened the door so that someone could enter. It was Aiden.
He walked in with purpose and sat himself on the bed beside me. "I'm bored."
I laughed and turned my face so that I could look at him. "We are currently waiting on a meeting that could be the doom of innocent people and you're bored?"
"That is correct," Aiden nodded.
I sighed and sat up. I looked down at my rumpled appearance and decided I should probably make myself more presentable for this meeting. I slowly slipped off of the bed and made my way to the closet. I grabbed a nicer pair of clothes before turning to Aiden.
"Turn," I ordered, wiggling my finger for emphasis.
Aiden sighed and looked at me for a few moments. I raised my eyebrows.
"I'm gay," he blurted out.
My eyebrows shot into my hairline. That was- unexpected. "Really?"
Aiden bit his lip and nodded. I set the clothes down on the vanity and walked so that I could sit next to Aiden. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Aiden shrugged. "I'm not super open about it. Demons aren't traditional by any means, but that doesn't mean they all love gay people, y'know?"
I slung an arm over his shoulder and brought him closer to me. "I get that. Who all knows?"
"You, Rowan, Mal, Christian, James, Erika and that's about it."
"Wow," I murmured.
"Actually, Christian and I are dating," Aiden admitted.
"Really," I exclaimed, a large grin appearing on my face. "I've always wanted a gay best friend!"
Aiden groaned. "I don't do makeup and I hate shopping."
"That's okay, I hate shopping too," I grinned.
"So we're okay," Aiden asked hesitantly.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"I kept this from you," Aiden shrugged, relief clear in his eyes.
I laughed and bumped shoulders with him. "You weren't ready. I'm just glad you told me now."
I tilted my head then, biting my lip. "So, Jeremy."
Aiden tensed. "What about him?"
"You two obviously know each other," I prodded gently.
Aiden sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "We don't know each other, not really. We slept together one drunken night, years ago. Christian knows and forgave me instantly, but I will never forgive myself. I never thought I would have to see him again."
I threw and arm over Aiden's shoulder and brought him closer to me. "You were drunk, and it was a long time ago. I wouldn't even worry about it."
"I just hate how attracted I still am to him," Aiden admitted.
"I have never related to a statement more in my life," I laughed.
Aiden glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes and joined me in my laughter. Honestly, I never would've guessed that Jeremy was gay. He used to flirt with Selene all the time.
"I'm surprised that Jeremy is gay, to be honest. He used to be pretty close to Selene before..." I trailed off, my heart squeezing tight.
"He's bi," Aiden shrugged.
I nodded. That makes more sense.
I got up to change. He just laid back against the bed and stared at the ceiling as I stripped. He's always been so flirty, I never would have guessed. Though, honestly that's just his personality.
I can't picture him and Christian together, but now that I know I hope they are much more open about their relationship in front of me. They would probably be so cute.
Besides, I have always wanted a gay best friend. Everyone in movies who had one always seemed to be so happy. I don't understand why anyone would be against someone being gay. It just doesn't make any sense.
Once I was ready, it was about time for the meeting. I left Aiden in my room so that I could go find Rowan. I didn't have to look long, as he was waiting for me outside of my door.
We walked together to the meeting in silence. For once, the room was already full by the time we got there. Like last time, I sat at the head of the table with Rowan seated next to me. Also like last time, the king was there.
"The person they attacked was a colleague of Freya's. There are two possible people that we think they may target next," Rowan began.
"Are they being monitored," Bret questioned.
"Yes. They have guards watching them now. We think the vampires will target again tomorrow at the exact same time," Rowan answered.
"I think we should send two highly trained groups to hide in the shadows and wait for the vampires to appear. And then we strike," I stated.
"And how do we know who to split up? Not knowing which one will be targeted is risky," one of the others spoke up.
I nodded. "It is risky. But we have to prove to the vampires that we are a force to be reckoned with. If we don't, then maybe our own people will be their next target."
There were a few murmurs of agreement, but some people still seemed unsure.
"We can't leave this place unprotected," the same guy who spoke up before said.
"We won't. The vampires won't send an entire army to kill the human. Just a few tops. We could handle that with just a few of our men," Rowan explained.
Everyone began to speak quietly to each other, trying to decide what would be best. I bit my lip and shifted in my chair. If they decide not to do this, then those innocent people will die.
They are just here to guide you, Rowan murmured in my mind. You out rank them. They cannot make any real decisions here. The only decision you should be worried about is the king's.
I tilted my head in the king's direction. He sent me a half smile, glancing subtly between the two of us. I'm sure he heard everything Rowan said to me. Though, I'm also sure that is what Rowan intended to happen.
"You can send 3 men per person that you suspect might be in danger," the king spoke up, his words final.
3 men is not a lot. But I know that he is not the negotiating type. I'm lucky he's allowing even this. And the likelihood of the vampires sending more than 2 men is slim to none. Besides, we'll have the element of surprise on our side. It'll be fine.
"I would pick wisely," the king added as Rowan and I stood up to leave.
I ignored him as we walked out of the door. Once we were a safe distance away, I turned to Rowan. "So, who do you have in mind?"
"I'll send Aiden, Bret and Saxon to your old foster family. Me, you and Mal will be going to protect Bria."
My eyebrows shot high into the air. "Saxon?"
"As much as I hate him, he's powerful. Having telekinesis in both groups would be ideal," Rowan admitted.
I nodded slowly. He's right, but I never thought that he would consider making a decision that involved including a fae. Especially not Saxon.
"So, what's the plan," I questioned.
"We train with the fae and demons bright and early. We leave training about half way through to go to Chicago and scope things out. Then we find a spot to wait until the vampires strike."
"This better work," I murmured, running a hand down my face.
"It will," Rowan promised
If it doesn't, I have absolutely no idea what we will do next.
*****
We started training at the crack of dawn. No one was all that pleased about it. It didn't bother me, I'm used to getting up early. Today we decided that we will start with an hour of weapons training.
This time, instead of walking around, Aiden stayed to help me learn. I'm a decent fighter, and I'm great with my powers, but I wouldn't know how to wield a weapon if it hit me in the face.
"Your stance is all wrong. You aren't even holding the weapon right. Jesus, have you ever held a knife before," Aiden critiqued as he shook his head and walked over so that he could fix my errors.
"Sorry, unlike you, I wasn't born with a knife in my hand."
Aiden rolled his eyes and stepped back to analyze my new stance. "Don't be dramatic."
Once Aiden was satisfied with how he placed me, he nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now throw it at me."
My eyes widened. "I'm not going to throw a knife at you!"
Aiden rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, you won't hit me."
I narrowed my eyes at the cockiness in his voice as I aimed the knife. I remembered Rowan's lessons and tried to throw with my wrist rather than my arm. It worked somewhat better, but still didn't exactly go where I wanted it to and Aiden easily stepped out of the way.
"Again," Aiden shouted, picking up the knife from the ground and handing it back to me.
I tried again, and again I was way off. It went on like that for a while. Aiden constantly criticizing my aim and my speed and my stance. The only thing I managed to do was barely graze the side of his arm, and that was only because of how angry he was making me. Weapons definitely aren't my thing.
"Maybe instead of teaching you how to use this, I'll teach you how to dodge it," Aiden sighed once we were both past our breaking point.
I nodded eagerly. That sounds much more fun. Before I could even take a second to catch my breath, a knife was coming at me. I quickly dodged it, but barely. Before I could yell at him, another came flying at me. I yelped and ducked. They kept coming, faster and faster. It gave me deja vu of the last time we did this. It didn't end well for me that time.
This time, I was able to dodge the knives a lot swifter. A few grazed my arms, but I was left unscathed for the most part.
"Good," Aiden stated, nodding in approval. "It's naive to think that there will be no guns in this war. You need to know how to dodge weapons moving at high speeds. You did rather well with the knives. A bullet would be a little harder, but I think you'll be okay. And anyways, there won't be many guns. None of the species enjoy them very much. We don't think it properly represents our skills."
"Why does that not surprise me," I laughed, shaking my head.
Cameron walked over in our direction, and dread coiled in my stomach. I know what he wants to talk about, and I don't think I'm ready for that conversation. Still, I plastered a smile onto my face and walked over to him.
"It's been three days, Freya. Do you have a plan," he questioned.
"I do, actually," I informed him proudly. "We are going to ambush them today. We have a pretty good idea of who they will target next."
Cameron shook his head. "That sounds super risky."
"It's our best shot," I sighed. "Please just give me a chance to fix this."
Cameron stood there silent for a few moments before slowly nodding. "This is your last chance."
Before I could protest, Rowan began to approach us.
"We should probably get going," Rowan informed us as he walked over.
My heart began to race and I nodded. The others saw us talking and quickly walked over. Rowan ran over the plan one more time with them. Once everyone was set on what was to be done, Rowan led us to the mansion. The king stood waiting outside of it.
I raised my eyebrows as we walked up to him. He grabbed a key from around his neck and turned, placing it into the building. I thought he was nuts at first, until a lock appeared for the key to fit right into. A door swung open, and Chicago appeared right in front of my eyes.
"What is this," I murmured in wonder.
"The fae have their portals. We have our doors," Rowan shrugged. "Only the king can wield the key, though."
Rowan walked through first. My heart dropped as he did, but he landed safely on the other side. Aiden, Bret and Mal followed. That just left Saxon and I. We shared an uneasy look. I took a deep breath and shook out my limbs before walking through. It was like walking through a normal doorway. No tingles or uncomfortable feeling like a portal. No suffocating. This is so much easier.
Saxon came out not long after me. "That's honestly so much better than portals," he admitted. I agreed.
"I've never been to Chicago before," Mal murmured as she took in the large buildings and bustling crowds.
"I've been to a lot of different cities. Human and otherwise. And yet, Chicago is still my favorite," Aiden admitted.
It is an absolutely beautiful city. Everyone always hypes up New York City, but I've always liked Chicago better. There are no alleys in New York City, so their garbage litters the street. It's disheartening, and it smells a little. It's a beautiful city don't get me wrong, but Chicago has always been better to me.
"So, is there anything that we should know about your foster family before we do this," Bret questioned me softly.
"They have a daughter," I admitted. "She's their pride and joy. I would say she'd be about 7 now. If the vampires were going to target anything, it would probably be her."
The others sucked in a breath, not liking the idea of having to be responsible for a 7 year old. It's one thing when it's an adult that you're protecting. It's a different kind of fear when it's an innocent child.
"Does everyone know the plan," Rowan questioned.
We all nodded. Rowan took a deep breath before announcing that we should split up and go to the place we need to be protecting.
Rowan and I's group started walking away first. I felt eyes on the back of my head, and I knew they were Saxons. I tried to ignore them the best that I could until I was far enough from him that I was out of sight.
"How long do we have," I questioned.
"About two hours," Mal responded as we paused in front of Bria's house. "Are we sure she's home?"
I nodded. "It's a Saturday. Her brother doesn't have school and they spend the day together."
"How old is this girl," Mal questioned.
"Probably about 23," I shrugged, not really sure.
"And how old is her brother," Rowan asked.
I bit my lip, trying to remember. I know she told me once. "No more than 6."
We lapsed into silence then. Rowan positioned each of us in a set of bushes around the house. If we see something, we are to speak to each other in our minds. There will be no vampire getting through us.
I surprisingly stayed rather still the whole time. I expected myself to be fidgety, but it was as if the adrenaline was keeping me on my toes. The hours ticked by rather fast. After hour 3, I started to get worried.
Have you heard from the others, I asked Rowan.
No, Rowan sighed. I'll try them.
My heart raced as Rowan went silent. What if the vampires got the upper hand, and now Aiden, Saxon and Bret are captured. Or... dead. A shiver went down my spine. I refuse to believe that as a possibility.
They said nothing has happened on their end either, Rowan informed me.
I furrowed my eyebrows. The attack should have happened already. Did they spot us somehow? Maybe they are trying to wait us out. Though, that's unlikely. I have a feeling that if they saw us they would have attacked us.
We stayed there for another few hours, and yet still nothing. Time was starting to crawl. What is going on?
"Shit," Rowan cursed aloud.
Mal and I stood up and were at his side in seconds.
"The king said the vampires already struck," Rowan stated grimly.
"Where," I questioned, my heart racing.
"Nowhere near here. In Georgia. A teenage girl maybe 16 years old. With an R carved in her stomach."
An R. Fr. They are going to spell out Freya. I felt bile rise up in my throat and I tried to force it down. I've never been to Georgia. I don't know anyone there.
"They are toying with us," I growled. "They wanted us to worry about this, to distract us. There is going to be no pattern."
"Distract us from what," Mal questioned slowly.
Then we were all running. We met up with the others quickly. This cannot be good.
The vampires were trying to get us away from Daemonium. But why?
The king had a door ready for us instantly. That was a big clue that something was wrong. Did we even tell him that we were ready?
Once back in Daemonium, I breathed a little easier. Things look normal. No large fires, no vampires ravaging through everything.
"What happened," I asked the king.
"It's Christian. He's gone."
Aiden pushed forward. "What do you mean, he's gone?"
The king shrugged helplessly. "We don't know. He just disappeared. Everyone was training. He went to go to the bathroom and he never came back. I assume the vampires took him, but I don't know how they could have possibly gotten in."
I gritted my teeth. Stefan and I need to have a talk.
"Where are you going," Saxon called as I began to turn and run toward the mansion.
"To have a little talk with your father!"
*****
I stood in the field and waited, tapping my foot aggressively. It was a lot easier to get here than I was expecting. All I had to do was fall asleep and think about this place and then I was here.
If he doesn't show up, I don't know what I'll do. I don't even know what I'll do if he does. Demand he call off the killings? Demand that he give Christian back? He isn't going to do either of those things.
I didn't have long to think before Stefan appeared in front of me. He shot a cocky grin in my direction. I didn't think. I just walked up and punched him right in the nose.
I heard a satisfying crack. Good. Stefan bent over and cradled his now bleeding nose. He spat blood on the floor before standing up and placing his fingers on his nose. I grimaced as he righted the break.
"You have a good right hook," he commented.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Where the hell is Christian?"
"Ah," Stefan shrugged. "He's alive. We don't know how to turn him, so who knows how long he'll stay that way. They love new guinea pigs for their experiments."
I growled and took a step forward, ready to hit him again.
"Go ahead, keep hitting me. That'll make me tell you what I know," Stefan laughed, sarcasm oozing from his voice.
I gritted my teeth together but stayed where I was. He's right. I need a new tactic.
"How did the vampires get into Daemonium?"
Stefan's eyebrows raised. "They didn't. They could never get into that fortress. But they didn't have to. Someone from the inside brought him right to us."
My eyes widened. "You're lying."
Stefan shrugged. "Believe what you want."
My mind raced. Someone betrayed us? My first thought went to Sebastian. He would do something like that. But what would he have to gain with the vampires? He seems like the kind of man who would detest anyone not demon. I doubt that he would ever work with them. So who did it?
"Nice try with the stake out today, by the way," Stefan commented.
"How did you," I trailed off.
"It really was smart, to guard other people in your previous life. But we would never make the pattern so obvious."
"God, what is wrong with you," I yelled.
"We want to know how Cameron became a vampire, Freya."
"That is never going to happen."
Stefan shrugged. "Then the killings shall continue. The kidnapping of Christian was a warning. To show you just how easily we can get inside and hurt your people."
"Let him go," I growled, my voice low.
"We will, eventually," Stefan shrugged. "How soon depends on you."
"What do I have to do," I asked.
"We want something from you. A special herb only grown in Daemonium. If you give us some, we will return Christian to you."
"What herb," I questioned, raising my eyebrows.
"Rowan will know the one."
Then he was gone.
I gasped and opened my eyes. I sat up and placed my hand on my heart, trying to catch my breath. Rowan and Aiden were at my side in an instant.
"What happened," Aiden questioned.
"He said someone from the inside brought Christian to them. And that they will return him to us only if we give him some herb. He said Rowan would know the one."
Rowan's eyes widened and he cursed.
"What herb is it," I questioned.
"It's one of the few things we have that protect us from vampires. It's poisonous to them. And it's one of our biggest trading items. Think of it like weed. The king would never give it up."
"He didn't say we had to give him all of it," I offered.
Rowan shook his head. "Even one piece would allow them to replicate it. Change it. Probably turn it into a herb that hurts us. There's no way they would sell it, but if they did, it would hurt our economy pretty badly."
"We can't just do nothing. They have Christian," Aiden growled.
"You said it's like weed," I stated. "Does it look like weed?"
Rowan narrowed his eyes. "Yes."
"Then how would he be able to tell the difference," I questioned.
"It burns them to the touch," he stated.
"Does anything else burn them?"
A smile started to curl onto Aidens face. "If we sprinkle it with garlic, it would burn them in the same way the herb does."
"Garlic," I laughed, shaking my head.
"They would smell it," Rowan shrugged.
"Lemon juice removes the smell of garlic," I stated.
Rowan raised his eyebrows . "It's worth a shot."
Lily came barging into the room then. Tears rolled down her bright red cheeks. I was at her side in an instant.
"What happened, are you okay?"
"I did something terrible," Lily sobbed.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What happened?"
"Saxons father came to me in my dream," she informed me, causing the blood to drain from my face. "He told me that he would kill Liam if I didn't bring Christian to him. That I could teleport through worlds."
I gathered Lily into my arms and looked at Rowan and Aiden from over her head. They both looked at me, their eyes widened slightly. This is not good. If anyone finds out about this, they will think that the fae are giving up demons to save themselves. This cannot get out.
"Who else knows," I questioned Lily.
"Just y-you guys," she hiccuped.
I let out a small sigh of relief as I moved her so that she was looking directly at me. "Good. Keep it that way. Do not tell a soul. This is not your fault. You had no choice, okay? And anyways, we're going to get him back."
Lily nodded slightly through her tears.
"Promise me that you won't tell another soul."
"I promise," she murmured.
I sighed and brought her back to my chest. The fact that he could get to her in her dreams so easily makes me shudder. I don't even know how he's doing it. Is that his power?
"Why don't you get some rest," I suggested.
I lead Lily to my bed and tucked her in. Once I was sure she was safe, I walked to the doorway knowing Liam would be standing right on the outside of it. I bent down a little so that I was eye level with him.
"We cannot tell a soul about this, okay? It will endanger Lily and this alliance. Do you understand?"
Liam nodded. "I won't tell anyone."
"Good," I murmured. "Now go in there and comfort her."
Liam didn't have to be told twice. I shut my door behind him and turned to Aiden and Rowan. "What are we going to do?"
"For right now, we try to deceive the vampires. After that, we'll figure it out," Rowan sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair.
"Alright," I nodded. "Meet back here in a couple of hours?"
Aiden and Rowan nodded before they were off, looking for the herb and garlic. Why in the world do vampires actually get burned from garlic? That's ridiculous.
I shook my head with a smile and headed back to my room. I raised my eyebrows once I got there.
Liam stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. James stood in front of Liam, a dozen lilies resting in his hands. "I just want to give these to Lily."
"I already told you. No. She doesn't want to see you."
I find that hard to believe. She practically melts every time he's in the same room as her.
"Well then, could you give these to her and tell her that they are from me," James asked.
Liam eyed the lilies before sighing and taking them from James.
"Fine," he muttered before slamming the door in James' face.
James turned around with a small frown on his face. He practically jumped two feet in the air when he saw me. I shouldn't have surprised him. He should have been able to tell I was there. He really is distracted.
"Having a hard time, huh?"
James groaned and ran a hand down his face. "I don't get it! Why does her brother hate me so much?"
I gave him a sympathetic smile. "He's just protective. You have to understand, their life has never been the easiest. I'm not going to get into detail because that is their story to tell, but they only have each other. Liam just wants to keep her safe. Don't take it personally, he's only just barely starting to trust me."
James slumped against the doorframe. "I've never been into a girl so badly before."
I walked over and ruffled his hair. He swatted my hand away, but couldn't hold back his laugh. "Maybe try being friends first. A friend is what they both need anyways. All relationships are better when you're friends first."
James nodded slowly. "That's a great idea."
He leaned up and kissed my cheek before skipping away. I laughed and shook my head. Liam is going to have his hands full with that boy.
I walked into my room. Lily sat on the bed, staring down at the dozen lilies. Liam stood in front of her, also looking at them but in a completely different way. His eyes were narrowed, as if wishing he could burn them. Hers were much more soft, whimsical even.
"Looks like you two had an eventful day."
Lily looked up at me with a smile. "James brought me flowers."
"That was very nice of him," I offered.
"I don't trust him," Liam growled.
Lily furrowed her eyebrows. "You don't trust anyone."
"And it's kept us safe so far!"
"You didn't trust Freya at first either," Lily shrugged, playing with one of the flowers.
Liam crosses his arms over his chest and practically pouted. "That's different."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"It just is," Liam stated, his tone final.
Lily merely shrugged and looked back at the flowers. Liam gave me a helpless look as if asking me to help. I bit my lip, not really wanting to get into the middle of this.
"James is a good guy. He would never intentionally hurt Lily. He is a player though, so I would keep playing hard to get to make sure he isn't planning on losing interest."
"See, he's a player," Liam announced, throwing his hands up in the air and ignoring everything else I said about James.
Lily and I rolled our eyes in sync. When we realized, we both fell back onto the bed and giggled. Liam just watched us and pouted.
"It'll be fine, Liam. Just give him a chance to prove himself," I shrugged.
Liam didn't respond, but I could tell that he was considering it. I patted the bed so that he would join us. He slowly did. I turned the tv on and put on a random movie before snuggling in between them. They snuggled up to me too and I smiled fondly down at them.
They are really good kids. I want them to be happy. And I really think that having James in their life could do just that.
*Hey guys!
So, a lot happened in this chapter. How do you feel about Christian and Aiden? Do you think they will be able to get Christian back?
I really love how cute James and Lily are. I think it would be interesting to write a side story about them after this series is over. But who knows.
Thank you guys so much for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment!
-Xoxo, Gab :)*