Awakening (43 page)

As Auberon faded away, Celeste turned to
Adam for comfort, unable to stop the tears from falling. Instead of taking her in his arms like she expected, he turned away from her and she finally saw the enmity radiating from him. How could she have missed it? It was almost physical in its strength. She reached out, but let her hand fall short of touching him, afraid that if she did he would shatter. “Adam, forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Celeste,” he ground out. “You did what needed
to be done; you ensured my brother’s return. How can I hold that against you?”

She reached for his arm but he
jerked away, purposefully hurting her. At her sound of distress, he growled but kept his back towards her. “I said there’s nothing to forgive, so drop it.”

Softly, her heart breaking with each beat it dared to beat, she said, “The only other option was to have him lost to us forever.”

“I know,” he said through clenched teeth, his jaw hurting with the effort to keep his heart from spilling out of the gaping wound in his chest. He didn’t understand the rage that was clawing at him, the agony. It wasn’t as if he and Auberon had never shared lovers before; they had, frequently; sometimes they shared a woman at the same time. But that was before Celeste; he had never felt this… jealousy before, this rage.

Even knowing that Celeste’s heart belonged to him couldn’t prevent the beast from ripping him to shreds. He couldn’t stand looking at her, being near her, wanting to take her in his arms and comfort her and wanting to scream at her for hurting him in a way no one had
ever hurt him before. “Just… I need some time, Celeste. Just give me some time to… figure things out.”

“
Adam, this is unfair!” she cried, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving. “You’ve known hundreds, thousands of women and if there had been any other way…. It was for Auberon!”

He made himself turn around and face her, hating the desolation on her beautiful face, hating her and
loving her so damn much…. “Please, Celeste.”

She nodded her head, her eyes pleading with him to forgive her. “I love you.”

He closed his eyes in despair, her words burning a hole through his heart. Without saying another word, unable to say anything else, he turned from her and walked away. It didn’t matter what he knew in his head, he couldn’t forgive her. Someday, but not now. He just needed to get away, remember who he was before she barged into his life and disrupted his orderly world. God, he loved her.

He hated her.

He loved her.

*****

Celeste stared after him with tears streaming down her face, her heart shredded on the floor at her feet. There wasn’t enough time to find another way, she had had no choice…. Her thoughts were empty, her excuses meant nothing, not when it meant Adam hated her. She saved Auberon only to lose her Adam. And it was all her fault, everything was her fault, from dragging the Vespari twins into this twenty-three years ago to falling in love with them a few months ago.

Straightening her shoulders, taking a deep breath, she knew what it was she had to do, the only thing left for her. Already, a plan was forming and she could only pray that when it was all over,
Adam would find it in his heart to forgive her. If she survived. If she didn’t, then it wouldn’t really matter; she would be dead, Auberon would be lost and Adam would have to find his brother on his own. Knowing Adam, he would find a way, eventually. It may take him a thousand years but he would find Auberon.

“I take it he wasn’t too pleased with the binding spell,” Kim said. Celeste turned and saw her friend leaning against the door way, her arms crossed beneath her breasts as she stared down the hall
where Adam disappeared. “I was afraid of that.”

“Did you know this was going to happen?” Celeste asked.

Kim lifted a shoulder in a familiar shrug as she pushed herself off the wall and walked towards Celeste. “I figured something like this would happen, I just didn’t expect Auberon to be so noble.”

“You don’t like the
Apocritae
very much, do you?” Celeste asked, watching as Kim crossed the room. Standing side by side, but not together, was painful; the girl that Celeste had loved as a sister was a virtual stranger. How much did she change when the Guardian Angel awoke?

“Seruli despises them,” Kim said indifferently with that damn shrug.

“Then why is she – why are you – my Guardian?” Celeste’s mind continued to formulate a plan, rearranging it as new information came to her; could she trust Kim – Seruli – if her life was on the line? She was the new Queen of the
Apocritae
, would Kim – Seruli – allow her to live?

“All unknowns are given a Guardian; Seruli lost,” Kim answered. Facing Celeste, the cool mask hiding her thoughts, she said, “That is why she chose to live as a human, to grow up beside you, to… forget her purpose until it was time to remember.”

“I see,” Celeste said slowly, wishing she could read her friend once more, to discover her true allegiances. “Do you – does Seruli – regret being my… Guardian?”

“Of course not,” Kim said, letting the mask slip and letting Celeste see the sincerity of her words
for a brief moment. “You are our beloved.”

Celeste’s brows drew together, “Even though, if I succeed, I will be Queen of the
Apocritae
.”

Kim’s lips tilted upwards in an enigmatic s
mile, “You’re still partially human; the angels and demons will just have to learn to accept the
Apocritae
.”

“Wh… why are the
Apocritae
so despised?”

“They think they are better than everyone – everything – else.” Kim smirked, “They disdain humans, angels, and demons alike, keeping to themselves and generally making all of our lives all the more difficult with their arrogance and their… fuck ups.”

“The
Calices
,” Celeste murmured.

“The
Thraell
,” she sneered. Kim’s face changed completely, becoming warm once more, as she looped her arm through Celeste’s and pulled her down a hall to an unoccupied bedroom. Standing outside the door, she kissed Celeste’s forehead, “Now, get some sleep, my beloved; everything will be better in the morning.”

“One can only hope,” Celeste said, offering a tremulous smile.

Kim grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash.”

“I promise,” Celeste said effortlessly enough. It was an easy promise to make; what she planned on doing was
very deliberately thought out

“Celeste, I’m serious,” the familiar Kim was back, imploring her with concern abundant in her
heavenly blue eyes. “I will be right outside of this door; you will not be able to get past me if you decide to do something stupid.”

“After my heart has been shattered do you really think I am going to do something reckless?” Celeste asked light-heartedly, hoping Kim still thought of her as the girl she grew up with
and not the woman she had become.

Kim’s easy smile assured her that Kim didn’t know her that well anymore. That probably wasn’t something to be glad about, but she didn’t want
any more of her friends to get lost or hurt, including Kim. “Should I let you spend the day in bed tomorrow?”

Celeste almost sighed in relief. Nodding her head, “I don’t think I will get out until
Adam forgives me.”

“That shouldn’t take too long,” Kim assured her with a confidence Celeste wished she could share. “He loves you.”

With a few last words, Celeste locked herself in the room, pressing her back against the door as her bruised heart pounded in her chest. Either Kim was exceptionally gullible or she knew what Celeste was about to do and she was willing to let her go. Either option had its downfalls but that wasn’t something Celeste wanted to dwell on; there was only a little bit of time left before she knew whether or not she was going to be the Queen.

There wasn’t time to write a note to
Adam; besides, what would she say? Sorry I fucked your brother but I didn’t like the alternatives; forgive me. I love you? It all seemed so pointless. Instead, she changed into a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt, slipping into a pair of tennis shoes and tying her hair back into a pony tail. Calling out, hoping Kim kept her promise to be just on the other side of the door, she said, “Good night, Kim; sweet dreams.”

“Good night, Celeste,” came the reply.

With a smile, Celeste closed her eyes, picturing the garage where Auberon kept his car. He wouldn’t mind if she borrowed it; he was going to want a new one when he got back anyway. She felt the cool metal next to her hand and smiled, opening her eyes and seeing the sleek Italian sports car right next to her. Climbing into the expensive vehicle, she ran her hands over the leather steering wheel, sighing in bliss; Auberon never would have let her take it out if he had still been around.

Turning the key, she just sat there for a moment to appreciate the purr of the engine. With a sigh, she backed out of the open garage, taking one last look at the mansion that had become a home over the past several weeks, a home that wouldn’t be a home if
Adam couldn’t forgive her. Ignoring the tear the trickled down her cheek, she drove along the deserted road, knowing the first stop she had to make, hoping she would be able to find the discreet door.

*****

Celeste stood before the non-descript door in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. It hardly seemed right that such a place existed within city limits but Celeste figured demons had their own rules and as long as they were discreet, the human world probably never even knew. What an introduction into the Otherworld! Letting out the breath she had been holding off and on since she climbed into the car, she pushed the door open.

The interior was lit in red, giving it a decadent, sensual feel; which was as it should be considering what sort of
business it was and the clients it catered to. The air was scented, spicy with an undertone of musk; Celeste didn’t linger too long on the cause of the muskiness. A low, erotic beat pulsed through the house as sensual vocals sang in French or Italian; one of the Romance languages. The place was designed for pleasure: bold, unashamed and beautiful.

A sinfully
gorgeous woman appeared wearing an unusual black leather dress; it was sleeveless and had an intricate clasp in the front. She didn’t look very old, but there was something about her that let Celeste know she wasn’t as young as she appeared either. Her long, blond hair hung to her waist as she stared at Celeste with exotic pale green eyes, a look of haughty disdain on her attractive face. She had a slight accent as she asked, “Are you lost?”

Even her voice was seductive, low and earthy. Celeste swallowed back the unease, “Um, I’m looking for Genevieve.”

“Who?” the woman inquired coolly, arching a delicate blond eyebrow. Celeste was pretty sure the woman knew who Genevieve was but was purposefully being obtuse. Damn, what was Gen's professional name?

“Um, Mistress Aurelia?”
Celeste managed, dragging the name up from the recesses of her mind, grateful for small miracles. “No, Mistress Artemis. I'm looking for Mistress Artemis.”

The woman’s lips tilted upwards in a half-smile as she reached out and took Celeste by the wrist, dragging her down the hall without saying a word. Before Celeste could think about protesting, she was deposited in a lavishly appointed room done up in gold and burgundy. It was a sumptuous room, reminding Celeste of the
Adytum
; it oozed sensuous carnality. Unsure what to do, she sat down on one of the overstuffed couches and waited, hoping Genevieve was going to appear.

Eventually, a woman with blue hair and wearing an intricately woven, blue silk kimono walked through the door
on mile high stilettos, her delicate face covered in a thick layer of makeup. Celeste recognized her friend instantly. “Genevieve!”

Gen’s lips curved upwards in a wide grin as she crossed the room and embraced Celeste in a heavily perfumed hug, “My God, Celeste; what are you doing here? When mom told me I had a guest, I never dreamed to find you waiting for me.”

“That beautiful woman was your mother?” Duh; why she should be surprised was a mystery. Now that she thought about it, she could see the strong resemblance.

“Didn’t you just adore her dress?” Gen asked, pulling the wig off
and scrubbing her fingers through her blond tresses, making the similarities to the blond woman all the more uncanny. At Celeste’s nod, she smiled, “Those are her wings, her wings! I’m so jealous.”

The teasing tone made Celeste grin, easing some of the anxiety that had been cursing her since
Adam turned his back on her. Gen plopped down on the couch next to her, crossing her legs and exposing the long length of thigh that was bare of any covering. Celeste blushed, “What on earth do you have on under that thing?”

“Oh, this?
Not much.” Gen smoothed the length of exposed leg, stretching it straight out. The six inch heels looked extremely uncomfortable. “It’s my costume. Mother insists we all dress our parts, even if we don’t actually fuck anyone.”