Page 20 of Cursed Lifeline (Eternal Love)

Nineteen

Alfred

Song: Who is She | I Monster

Empty.

There is no better word to describe how I feel.

Staring out the window of the study at the watcher’s council headquarters disguised as the Palace of Versailles, my heart threatens to stop beating as the bleak snow thickens, showering the aftermath of what happened earlier in a virginal blanket of desolate promises.

A new day dawns. But not for Esme.

Devastated.

Despaired.

Destroyed.

I take a deep, steadying breath, shove my hands in my pockets, and hang my head low.

If I could take my sister’s place, I would.

I felt confident in her training. With Silas and Caelum helping me, we had equipped her best we knew how to fight against the evil that lurks around every corner in this country. In the world, in fact. We trained her well against everything, everyone, except magic.

My eyes fill with tears as I lift my head and continue to stare out into the growing blizzard. Magic. That word has my fists clenching, and a frenzied adrenaline rushing through my veins as anger boils rebelliously in my soul.

Magic?

Is that what caused all this?

It would make sense. It’s the one thing we don’t have access to. Besides the smidgen of literature written so far on the topic, the council is blind to its power. Magic is the one thing that the watcher’s council still hasn’t mastered.

Without an inside source, we’ll never acquire the skills we need to harness a force mighty enough to defeat it.

Which means all future slayers are doomed to the same fate as Esme.

Closing my eyes, I release a shuddering breath.

Esme.

I choke back emotion and refuse to accept her outcome. Maybe one day I’ll be able to tolerate how everything ended, but not now.

“We did the best we could,” Caelum says from his seat across the room next to the fireplace. “We trained her day and night until she couldn’t train anymore, Alfred. What more could we have done?”

“We could not have fed her to them that night at her father’s party,” Silas growls. “I told you both it was a terrible mistake.”

“We take chances all the time, Si,” Caelum snaps back. “It’s part of the job. Her job. She knew the risks as well as us. We tried our best. What happened was...”

“What happened should have never been allowed to get as far as it did,” Silas cuts him off.

“A lot of this is due to Lord Martin,” Caelum sighs.

He’s right. If it wasn’t for my unfortunate father, it’s a very good possibility that none of this would have taken place.

“We planned for everything but an attack from the inside.”

“That was my mistake,” I finally speak up. “I knew what kind of man our father was. I knew he wanted to sell Esme in marriage to a man she didn’t love to save his estate, his cult of reason, and I didn’t do anything to stop him.”

“In your defense,” Caelum tries to console me, “You trained her to fight against all forces of evil. That includes the likes of your father.”

I sigh heavily, “All, except one.”

Turning away from the depressing view outside, I start walking towards the hearth.

“What do you mean ‘except one?’” Silas asks.

There is a hint of anger in his tone, but I pay it no mind for now. My head is too much of a mess to figure him out, and to be honest, his mood is regularly somber.

“The one threatening force the council has never bothered to look into,” I say, leaning my right forearm against the mantle. Taking the poker at the side of the fireplace, I stoke the embers slowly and say, “Magic.”

“We trained Esme for any kind of threat we knew about,” Caelum suggests, confused. “We did the best we could.”

“Your sunny disposition about the situation is concerning,” Silas snaps.

“And your regular cynicism is downright annoying,” Caelum bites back.

“Esme is dead,” I flinch as the bitter words leave Silas’s mouth. “There is nothing bright, hopeful, hell – promising - about it!”

“We. Did. What. We. Could.” Caelum argues.

Silas goes to snap back, but I’ve had enough. Turning, I cross my arms over my chest and butt in. “And what if we could have done more?”

My friends regard me with questioning eyes.

“Besides selling our soul to the devil himself, I don’t see how that would be possible,” Caelum says.

“You wouldn’t sell your soul to take her place?” Silas smugly asks as he leans back in his seat.

Rising, Caelum takes a step towards Silas in anger. Fists clenched at his sides, he bites out, “Any one of us would, Si. If given the invitation. But I don’t see any demons knocking on our doors to offer. No angels either, for that matter.”

“Well,” Silas grumbles, his eyes sternly holding Caelum’s. “Maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.”

I’m about to butt in again when the doors to the study fly open. Silas jumps from his seat and pulls his dagger from his side. Caelum does the same and takes a defensive step forward just as a woman is pushed through the doorway, and Felix Caldwell, Prince of the Damned, strides in after her.

She struggles against his hold as he angrily grips her arm and forces her further into the room. Her gaze lifts and catches Silas’, then Caelums’, and then lands on mine. The crystal blue shade of her eyes is breathtaking. Her golden hair falls around her shoulders, and down to her waist like a halo, a protective cape. I tell myself to breathe as her eyes widen, and she bites her plump, tempting bottom lip. Her stare never leaves mine as Felix pushes her further towards us and I finally have the sense to place my hand atop the sword at my side.

Though, I fear there is no protection strong enough for what’s in front of me.

Not because of Felix. His mere presence makes me want to run a stake through his heart for what he let happen to my sister.

But because of the feeling I can’t put into words. The unnerving premonition consuming me as I stare into the breathtaking woman’s startled gaze.

Forcing myself to pay attention to the tangible threat coming closer, my eyes lift and find Felix’s, and I growl, “What do you want?”

We’d made a truce that night in my father’s forest after Esme was taken. He’d protect my sister with his life as long as I promised no one on the watcher’s council would hunt him and his coven down in the future.

He broke that truce, that promise, the second his brother Viktor drained the last of Esme’s life from her young body. She had only just finished training. She had only just turned eighteen. She had her whole life ahead of her. A whole world she could have conquered.

Now, I can’t help but kick myself and wonder if the reason Felix was so convincing that night was because he had a bigger endgame in mind.

“Is that any way to greet a savior,” Felix growls, his eyes fill with fury, as he pushes the fae closer.

Fae?

My eyes widen as I take in her raised, pointy ears once she gracefully pushes her glowing locks behind them. She bites her lip again, and my eyes stay transfixed on her mouth a moment too long. Brushing her hands down her rose satin gown, she straightens her spine and holds her head high as the pair come to a stop in the center of the room. Determined to shake the hold she seems to have on me, I chuckle, “You’re no savior, Felix,” as I step around Silas and Caelum.

Cocking my head to the side, I study the Prince of the Damned and force myself to stay focused, to center my attention on the man in front of me. If only because I know if I look back at the lovely woman at his side, I won’t be able to think straight.

“A savior rescues those in need,” I seethe as my brother’s on the council flank my sides and follow me into the center of the room. “They don’t fail at protecting what matters most, even if it means sacrificing their own life.”

“A savior,” Felix growls, “Also delivers.”

He nods towards the woman, and I chance a glance her way. My heart rate spikes as she holds my stare. Her perfume drugs me the closer I come. Roses, jasmine, gardenia, the floral scent mixes with a dreamy, romantic, sensual edge of ylang-ylang that causes desire to rush madly through my veins.

Of course, a tempting fae like herself would smell like the most heavenly garden.

Reluctantly, I pull my stare from hers and look back in Felix’s direction just as he says, “The question is, are you willing to make the same kind of sacrifice?”

Silas lunges forward, intent on killing Felix. I hold him back only because the fear that just flashed through the fae’s eyes has me instantly wanting to protect her. Comfort her.

Felix’s low, menacing chuckle fills the room. My eyes flash angrily to his, daring him to speak. To give me one good reason not to unleash hell on him at the hands of me and my brothers.

He walks around the lady’s side towards the desk at the back of the room. Silas, Caelum, and myself watch him like a hawk as he sits at the desk, and proceeds to prop his feet up on the rich mahogany top. The thumb of his boots against the wood echoes through the room like the sound of a gavel sentencing us to a fate we never expected.

“Evangeline here is special,” Felix sharply suggests. My breath catches at the first mention of the elegant fae’s name. “She’s devised a loophole that none of us expected. Isn’t that right, princess?”

My eyes flash back to hers, and I swallow hard.

She’s royalty?

As if reading my mind, she steps forward and calmly states, “My name is Evangeline Ambrosia. Princess of the WhisperWind Covenant. A tribe of fae who have lived in the caves and grottos of Mount Erymanthos for over five thousand years and ...”

“She has a gift,” Felix cuts her off. “Necromancy.”

At the mention of the word, Silas and Caelum stand down but keep their hands on their weapons.

“That’s impossible,” I whisper in awe as my eyes behold the most stunning creature I have ever seen. Not just because of her gift but because her mere presence makes me feel a way I can’t put into words.

No woman has ever made me feel this way.

Normally, I drown myself in them.

Use them to numb the pain of my youth and secrets from my past I’ve never told anyone.

And they oblige.

They let me willingly.

But Evangeline...

Something about her calls to me in a way none of these other women ever have.

In a way that makes me feel ashamed. Dirty. Corrupt.

In a way that makes me want to change my past if it meant I had a chance at her future.

“She cast a spell that’s quite interesting,” Felix prods from behind the desk. One, I know you’ll want to learn about since it concerns Esme’s future,” my curiosity immediately peeks. “And mine,” he adds, leaning back in his seat like a king.

I suppose one day he will be. A king that is. The problem is that he’s intent on making a certain woman his queen. A woman who just died at the hands of his brother. He talks of the future, but there is no future for Esme if it has him in it.

I shake my head at the poor fool and approach where he sits. He’s gone mad. Just like the moron Hamlet in the silly book Esme was reading these past few weeks.

They both went mad.

I sigh heavily as I approach his highness who’s perched a little too confidently behind the watcher council’s desk. “In case you’ve forgotten, Esme perished at the hands of your brother late last night. There is no future where she is concerned. A fate I wish was yours instead, monsieur.”

He raises a cocky eyebrow at me before glancing Evangeline’s way and giving her a curt nod.

“Because of the curse...” she begins.

“What curse?” Silas demands, cutting her off.

But the princess pays him no mind and continues, “And the loophole my spell was able to create. Esme’s soul is in purgatory. Awaiting her next life.”

I may not be the most intelligent man, but I know better than to question the fae, especially when they’re part of the royal court.

“When will this life begin,” I ask eagerly. “Where? How soon?”

“Like I told your friend,” the fae angrily glances Felix’s way. I’m tempted to correct her. He’ll never be close to anything that resembles a friend. But I stay silent and wait, anxious to hear more. “I don’t control time. Only life.”

“Then why are you here,” Caelum snaps. “What do you want? Because it would be more beneficial to all of us if you could control time, Princess Ambrosia, seeing as a very important person, perished from all of our lives just a few hours ago. I’ll admit, it’s a curious wonder you can control life. But if we’re not around when Esme returns, what good does that do? Hell, we could all be old men by the time she’s brought back to life, that is if all of this is true. So what the hell does it matter if...”

I hold up my hand silencing Caelum. Thankfully, he reigns in his anger and quiets.

“How does this involve any of us?” I ask angrily.

Felix rises from his seat, glides eerily around the desk, and pulls Evangeline towards us. She struggles against his grip at first, and I only manage to hold back from ripping his hand off her sweet, sinful frame because he quickly lets her go when she decides to take a step forward on her own terms.

“Sacrifice,” Felix mocks.

The fae stiffens. My gaze falls on her. She looks everywhere but at any of us. Sadness fills my chest for her. I don’t know why. Sorrow, grief, I sense it mirrors and matches mine as her melancholy eyes finally drift to meet my gaze.

“Tell them, princess,” Felix seethes. “Or shall I remind you of the threat that...”

My hand pulls the dagger from my side so quickly that Silas and Caelum jolt back in shock. Felix watches me earnestly. A smile pulls across his smug face and I realize I’ve shown a weak spot neither of us knew I had until now.

Her.

To my surprise, when I look back at Evangeline, I don’t see fear in her eyes anymore. Instead, I see compassion. Empathy.

“I can make it so no matter how much time passes, you’ll be there when Esme comes back to life,” she whispers. Stunned, I take a step back. My brow furrows. “If you’re willing, to sacrifice your mortal life, I can ensure you’ll be there to...”

“Train her. Work with me. Ensure that no one harms her ever again,” Felix finishes for the fae.

The beautiful woman in front of me swallows hard, questioning me with a worried expression. She wants to know if I know what I am getting into. What accepting this offer entails.

“What about us,” Caelum quickly asks. “Does that include...”

“You’re of no use to me,” Felix snaps. “This offer only includes Alfred.”

“No,” I blurt out. The fae’s eyes widen. Felix takes a heated step forward. My brothers are quick to take a challenging step in the vampire’s direction as well.

“You have your coven,” I explain, as my eyes leave the thrilling blue of the fae’s stare and focus on her escort. “I’m only one man. If I do this, I need a team as well.”

“You’ll have me,” Felix grits out.

“And we all see how well that ended for us this last time,” I mock.

He growls, low and threatening, as he debates my counteroffer.

“If they’re willing,” I say, as I glance Silas and Caelum’s way, “I’ll only do whatever this is if they’re given the same offer. If you can ensure they’ll be there with me, every step of the way.”

“I’m not sure...” Evangeline starts to say, but Silas is quick to cut her off.

“I’ll do it,” he says, eagerly stepping forward.

“Maybe it’ll finally change your life and your attitude for the better,” Caelum chuckles, but his laugh fades as Silas shoots him an evil glare.

“Me too,” Caelum quickly adds. He bumps me with his elbow, and I give him a thankful nod.

“I’m not sure how all of this will work,” Evangeline says as she tosses Felix a worried look over her shoulder. “Becoming fae…”

“Becoming what?” Caelum questions quickly.

“Might ruin your ability to stay on the watcher’s council.”

“Over time, I’ll make sure they’re head of the watcher’s council,” Felix promises as the realization of the offer we all accepted weighs down on us.

“If you’re sure?” the fae asks with trepidation, studying me and my brothers sternly. “You’ll never be considered pure fae. You’ll be putting your life in jeopardy. There are many of my kind, especially the high fae, who hunt and kill half-breeds for sport. All I can offer you is the chance to be immortal. To stay the same age for eternity. But I warn you, even immortals can be killed if other deities discover your weakness.”

“And what is that?” Caelum is quick to ask.

The charming fae shrugs. “I don’t know,” she answers with a sad smile. “It is different for all of us.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I offer without reservation. “We’ve agreed. Now, Princess, tell us, what do you need from us to seal this deal?”

“A deal with the devil,” Silas growls beside me. My eyes lift and find Felix’s. He grins in a mischievous, wicked way as Silas adds, “This shall be interesting.”

The fae takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and slowly breathes out. Across the room, the large French doors leading outside bang against the walls as they magically open. A gust of crisp, ice-cold wind blasts into the room. Snow flurries hurry towards us as the princess opens her eyes then turns with purpose and starts to make her way towards the doors.

Despite the freezing cold, we follow her out into the blizzard until she comes to a stop in the middle of the grass just beyond the courtyard. She begins to hum. As the beautiful melody falls from her lips, a thrill passes through me as we gather with her in the midst of the storm.

Snowflakes swirl in a circle around us. Lifting off the white-covered earth, they pick up speed and twirl in an alluring trance, creating a thick wall that rapidly starts to close in on all sides. Caelum and Silas stare at me with worried expressions while the Prince of the Damned looks on smug, poised, more sure of himself than I have ever seen him before.

The wall of snow sparkles to life. Bright light explodes around us, and I cover my eyes. The world grows quiet. Still. Serene. When I uncover my face, I find we’re standing in the middle of a fairy ring. My brother’s on the council look at me with wide eyes. I study them closely, searching their stares, wanting to know if there is any hesitance or any change of heart before we go through with this.

When I see none, I look back Evangeline’s way just as she starts to say, “Now, repeat after me...”