Dominion 4 - Ascendance (13 page)

 

The door opened, startling me out of the vision, and had me nearly jumping off the stairs and into the tree.

“You okay?” Gabe stood at the bottom of the stairs, glancing from me to the tree and back. Sam leaned against the wall beside the door, looking tired but mostly human.

I sucked in a few deep breaths and willed my heart to beat normally. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“It looked like you were in some sort of trance. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.”
The memories of all that had happened in the past few hours rushed back through my head. “Holy crap! There are fairies. Fairies are real. I saw one. Wait… what happened to you earlier? You got all scary and undead-like.”

“Yes, there are fairies.” He handed me a small potted plant that smelled strongly of mint. The bushy greenery flowed from the bucket, more like ivy than any mint I’d ever seen. “This should attract and relax any fairies we have in the area. We can probably get some information from them about the ring.”

I took the plant and wondered how he knew so much about fairies, but before I could ask, he was bounding up the stairs and answering my other question.

“The ring brought on bloodlust.” He tugged me up the stairs. Sam followed, several steps behind. “Overwhelming bloodlust. That ring needs to be destroyed. I filed a report with the Tri-Mega. You should let the Dominion know. They may have to null-bomb the area.”

Sam shivered, probably thinking of Matthew, who had been a psychopath and a null, just as I did in that moment. He shrugged past us and disappeared into the bathroom instead of coming with us to the secret room. The scent of musk and man caught my nose. Had Sam gotten some play? And why did that smell so familiar? Like tree and motor oil.

I let Gabe lead me through the hall and up to our private room. Once I set the plant down and began stripping out of my clothes in the dark, it hit me. “Sam fed on Caleb?”

“We ran into him at the club. I don’t know if he fed or just satisfied other needs. Leave it to you to find the hottest gay gardener in the city. Which reminds me. You may want to call him back. Your fairies have made a jungle out of your yard again.”

“What? No way.” I kicked out of the rest of my things, leaving just my bright-purple euro-briefs, and climbed across the bed to peel back the heavy coating over the window. Far down below, I could see the mass of weeds and wild grass twisting across the side of the yard that only a few hours ago had been perfectly trimmed. “That’s so unfair.”

Gabe pushed the window covering back, grabbed me around the waist, and pulled me down beside him for a snuggle. He even wrapped the blanket around us. “They are probably thinking the same thing about you. Cutting down their hiding places. I bet that’s why there were so many gardens. You’ll need to replant those right away if you want to keep the paths clear.”

I sighed. “How do you know so much about them, anyway?”

“They were all over Europe. Couldn’t go anywhere without tangling with a mass of them. Sadly, a lot of them were wiped out during the industrial revolution. Occasionally you’ll find patches of them now in protected areas, parks, forests, that sort of thing.”

“Are they good or bad?”

He shrugged, his body hair tickling me, legs scratching against mine before settling, one between my knees and the other on top. Gabe always liked to sleep tangled up, his limbs curled around mine. He slept a bit like a shield, wrapping me up in warmth and protection I couldn’t get from any ward. “They are a lot like humans, I suppose. Some good, some bad.”

“Hmm,” I said to him, feeling sleep weigh me down. Before I could ask more, dreams overtook me. In Gabe’s arms, all I hoped to dream of was his happy smile.

The bright illumination of the overgrown flowers startled me out of a dead sleep. A flurry of activity filled the place, bugs moving back and forth. Roots and vines wove through the ground. I tried to keep out of the way while I watched them all work. My red-haired friend helped guide a thick stalk of green into the ground. Others rose up out of the dirt like some crazy, thorny spider legs ready to spear the ground. One pointy end headed right for Red’s back. I darted around the masses, touched the dangerous growth, and directed it away. The vine pierced the ground, making an eruption of dirt and the sound of a sonic boom. My ears stung.

Everything suddenly stopped. Not frozen in place, just halting, everyone turned toward me. Red’s eyes widened. His eyes seemed to be swollen. Had he been crying?

He sucked in heavy breaths but kept his hands on the thorny vine. Blood stained his soft pants, chest, and hands. I crossed the distance to him without remembering moving and ripped him away from the harmful plant. He deflated in my arms, letting himself fall into my embrace, and sobbed. His tears smelled like a spring rain, blood like new soil. I let my instincts take over and pressed my luminescent skin to his and willed him to heal. The very core of me nearly screamed a possessive “mine” while holding him.

All remained still around us. The dangerous plant made more sense from this angle. It was a briar bush, nature’s protection and punishment all wrapped in one. Only this shoot of prickly branches rose from the base of a stone that towered into the darkness.

Flashes of people speared on that bush trembled through my head. Not people, fairies, but still wickedly slaughtered. The vines glistened with blood, dripping the fluid from the highest tips like a cut jugular to fuel the ground, and rippled with magic. I dragged Red with me away from the stone. The sticky dirt clung to my pants and bare feet, bloody mud. Tears blurred my vision. Gone was the perfection I’d felt here before. Red pushed me away and turned back to the nasty plant that surely meant his death.

“No!” I screamed to him.

 

He stopped, twitching like his body fought the pause in movement.

“Tell me how to stop this,” I demanded. The green glow of my skin brightened blindingly. His flaming hair faded under the light’s assault. “No, don’t go! I want to protect you. Please!” But the early rise of the sun drove me out of the dream and into the morning.

Chapter 15

T
HE
nightmares had me out of bed early. By a quarter after eight I’d done more than most people probably do all day. I’d called Caleb about the lawn and found a nursery that specialized in the slew of plants fairies liked, according to Gabe. They would deliver just after nine, and Caleb had already arrived to trim back the side yard and stir up the dirt in preparation for them. I also read through the paperwork for the house, called Jamie with questions, and signed it. Hanna had taken my report about the ring over the phone and would be poring over Dominion texts with Ally most of the day. And Timothy would cross the yard anytime, since we would be going to the will reading today.

The journal my father had kept in the hidden drawer beneath his dresser was gone. In fact, nothing was left in the drawer but some photographs of him and my mother together. I decided to scan them and put together a scrapbook for her for Solstice, choosing one of the bunch to enlarge and frame—a picture of my father, his arms wrapped around my mother, who looked very young, with them both smiling. I planned on keeping a copy for myself for those times when my mom did something mean, so I could remember she hadn’t always been that way.

A replay I’d somehow missed yesterday beckoned from the dresser. My father’s hairbrush glistened with a faint pulse of power. I picked it up and quietly chanted the spell.

“Seiran,” my father’s voice called, deep, warm, and strong. I turned to see the ghostly image of him sitting on the edge of the bed. He appeared to stare right at me, smiling, eyes bright. “I hoped you’d find the spell. I hope that you have forgiven me.”

Forgiven him for what? Dying?

“I never wanted to leave you. I suspect if you’re viewing this, it’s because I’m dead. Please forgive me for not being there, and take care of your mother. She’s more fragile than she seems.”

Tears flowed in the corners of my eyes and a lump formed in my throat.
My father seemed to be fighting tears too. “I bet you’re strong and smart, handsome and good. Your momma wouldn’t let you be any other way. I hope the world isn’t so hard on you. Maybe there have been changes since I died. Perhaps the Dominion is more forgiving, or have even merged with the Ascendance to create an equal governing body.” He laughed lightly. “Yeah, that sounds like a crazy dream, right?”
He sighed heavily and stared off into the distance. “I’ve left you the house. I know you will bond with it just as I did. Even when you were in your mother’s womb, I could feel your power and how the earth wanted to claim you.” He shook his head and threw me another soft smile. “Don’t be afraid.”

Easy for him to say.
“It’s never easy letting go of control. We as human beings are inherently bad at that. But the real truth lies within ourselves. Only when we truly let go of everything can we really experience all we are.” He waved his hand at me. “And no, I’m not going to my execution with the idea that I will obtain some higher being. My power is going to Jamie so he can be strong enough to protect himself and you. My death will set back the Ascendance, perhaps push them in the right direction. My spirit will return to the earth. Here, in fact.” He looked around the room. “The tree in particular, which is really just another kind of control. Apex of power and all that, or so my father claimed.”

He looked skeptical. I wished he were really here so I could ask him questions.

“In truth, Seiran, the only one you need to believe in is yourself. Everyone else of worth will prove themselves. Trust your instincts. Love with your whole being. And find peace in the earth.” His image faded and I crumpled to my knees, overwhelmed with grief over losing a man I’d never met. My father had loved me. I took his advice and let go of all control, releasing all the tears.

I had cleaned up and was pulling the breakfast casserole from the oven when someone knocked on the backdoor. Timothy. He looked refreshed, like he’d slept, eaten, and could finally be normal and happy again. I searched his face for any sign of drugs, but found none. Maybe being welcomed back on the property helped. Having a place to belong had always helped me.

“Morning,” he said, plopping down on one of the breakfast bar stools. “Still going to the meeting today?”

“Yes. I’m ready for it. Are you?” What would his father have left him? The Charles I’d been hearing about the past few days cared for no one but himself. My mother could have won Parent of the Year in comparison to him, which was saying a lot.

“As ready as ever. I don’t suspect he’ll have left me anything.”

I didn’t point out he wouldn’t have been asked to come if he hadn’t been left something. He stared at me for a little while. “What?” I finally asked, wondering if my eyes were still puffy. Gabe had held me for a while and kissed away the tears before I finally crawled out of his arms to face the rest of the day and let him sleep.

“The hair. Wow.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Not quite sure how that happened, but I like it long. Gabe likes it long.” I had spent some time trying to mimic the style I’d seen Red wear many times. To take the attention off of me, I motioned to the casserole. “Hungry?”

His eyes widened as I scooped up a large chunk of French toast cinnamon egg casserole. The bottom was lined with thick slices of cinnamon-soaked toast, eggs, apple slices, and sausage crumbles. It smelled so wonderful I couldn’t wait to dig in. This recipe was actually Jamie’s, heavy on protein, but with a mix of fruit and starch to balance it out. No syrup needed, since I couldn’t stand the stuff.

“Wow” was all he said when he dug into the large piece I set in front of him.

I cut myself a smaller piece. We ate in silence. Timothy devoured his so fast I pointed my fork at the dish. “Feel free to have more. There’s plenty.” I was used to cooking for more people.

He jumped up from his seat and rushed over to spoon up some more.

“Does the garden grow like crazy all the time?” I asked when he sat back down. The dream about killer briar bushes bothered me a lot.

“Yeah. It wasn’t so bad when I was handling the house. We kept up the side gardens, and the lawn remained clear. When my dad kicked me out, it turned into a jungle and has been like that ever since.”

So if I kept the actual gardens planted and growing, maybe the fairies would leave the rest of the yard alone. Poor Timothy must have waded through two feet of grass to get to the back door. “How much do you know about fairies?”

He paused, appearing frightened for a few seconds. “Not much, other than what that ring can do.”

 

“So you’ve never seen one?”

“No. Aunt Lily says that’s why the yard is so crazy.” He glanced back toward the main part of the house. “She’ll be here soon. We’re all driving to the meeting together.”

My aunt was coming here? Was it the same Lily who was the head of the Magic Investigations department? “What’s Lily’s last name?” Girls always took their mother’s last names in the Dominion; boys took them too, if their mothers were from Aristocratic families. Which meant that Timothy had not been born to a Dominion girl, since he had his father’s last name.

“Castage. She’s an earth witch too, level-four, I believe. The only female child to be borne to John Ruffman.”

My brain went into panic mode. Head of MI. Did that mean if I got the job it would be considered some kind of favor to the family? I groaned. Why did I have to be part of such a high-ranking family of the Dominion? Finally I shook it off, eyes focusing on the window that peered out into the backyard. “The house needs curtains or blinds. Something to make it safe for vampires to move around during the day.”

“There’s a supply store that has magnetic curtains not far from here. I can go get some and we can start putting them up. I don’t think there’s much we can do for the foyer and living room. The ceiling is bulletproof glass, but open so the tree can grow.”

“Maybe after the meeting?”

“Sure. I don’t think the reading will take long, so I’ll pick up supplies afterward. If I recall correctly, there are something like fifty-seven windows in the house. That’s including the ones in the front of the house around the tree. Do you want those covered for privacy?”