Protector of the Flame (13 page)

“I’ve been able to heal anything I’ve focused on. I even saved Ximena from the dark veil before she was too far gone.”

He reached out to touch her forehead, but Sothis snatched his arm with the quickness of a phantom. A mark on the inside of his wrist poked out from the cuff of his tunic. Sothis yanked back his sleeve and turned his wrist upward.

Breath stalled as Serenity stared at his birthmark. A razor-sharp sickle twisted into a question mark. She knew the symbol well. It was one of thirteen. Adriel was Blessed.

“I know your
kabashem
,” Sothis spat at Adriel.

Another Blessed Kindred with a mate?

“What’s she like?” Adriel asked.

Sothis glowered at him. “Insane.”

Adriel wrenched his wrist free of her grasp. “Is it
sangre saevitas
or some other affliction? Perhaps I can heal her.”

A biting laugh scraped from Sothis’s mouth. “Her madness can’t be healed. You’d do best to stay far away from her.”

“That’s what Neith says, but she hasn’t given me a reason.”

A cruel grin split her mother’s face. “Your
kabashem
, Evane, is a fanatic that would sooner slit your throat than kiss you. Reason enough?”

Adriel recoiled.

Sothis turned to Serenity. “Don’t do this. No good will come from dredging up the past or—”she cut a sharp glance at Adriel, “—involving the other half of Evane’s twisted soul. You were loved, adored. That’s all you need to know. I carry the weight of what happened to our family for us both. Let the past go. Look to the future.”

“The past haunts me every day. It won’t let me go. Not until I know what really happened.”

Drawing in a breath, Sothis held her gaze. All emotion washed away from her face. “Then I leave you to your choice.” She stormed off and didn’t look back.

Chapter Thirteen

Serenity’s heart clenched. She yearned to reach for her mother, to be hugged and told the truth. She yearned for the impossible.

“If you still want me to try, we should go somewhere private so I can focus without interruption,” Adriel said.

With a nod, she followed him down the dormitory section closest to the showers. At the end of the hall, he opened the door.

A cool breeze caressed her face. His room was twice the size of hers and had a window. Neat stacks of comic books covered the top of his dresser. Some wrapped in plastic looked as if they’d never been opened.

“Sure you want to do this?” Adriel sat on his full-size bed. “Your mother seemed adamant it’d be better for you not to know.”

“I have to know.” Serenity sat beside him, resigned to her course of action.

“Close your eyes. I’ll focus on restoration of your mind, healing any damaged memories.”

She hesitated, reconsidering for just a moment, then shut her eyes.

Adriel placed both hands on either side of her head. His palms warmed, steadily growing hot. A vibrating bolt of electricity punched through her skull, hooking into her brain. Charged waves whirred in her head.

She gasped as she was reeled backward in her mind’s eye.

Scenes from the tattoo shop, college, high school, foster care—a dizzying blur.

A murky fog heavy with sediment clouded her mind. Crackling filled her ears. The smell of fire, wood burning clogged her nose. Heat from his hands seared her head.

Just as she was about to scream from the pain and sensory overload, it stopped.

Standing in her crib, Serenity shook the wooden railing. Nondescript sounds floated from her lips.

Lucien, her father, glided to her, smiling. “Hungry again?” He lifted her in a strong grip.

She patted his chocolate brown face, giggling.

Curled on a sofa, her mother extended her arms. “Is my precious girl up from her nap?”

Serenity cooed, cradled in her mother’s milky arms. Sothis removed a breast from her shirt and Serenity reached for a nipple, enveloped in rose-scented warmth.

A blinding flash of white.

Her mother sang happy birthday to her father while Serenity sat in his lap, staring at a cake covered in lit candles. “Make a wish,” her mother said.

Serenity stuck a finger in the frosting and licked off sweet icing.

“I already have everything I want.” He blew out the candles.

Hazy static stabbed her mind.

Coney Island amusement park was hot. The bright sun made her squint. She didn’t like roller coasters, but the last bite of her hot dog was yummy.

She broke free of her father and ran down the steps of the boardwalk into the sand. The watery hands of the ocean waved. She ran for the white foam that crawled back from the sand, daring her to come and play.

Her father snatched her in his arms. She chuckled.

“Where do you think you’re going, little lady?”

“Into the ocean.”

“But you can’t swim,” he said, making a silly face. He blew on her belly, squeezing out laughter.

Sothis wiped Serenity’s face with a napkin. “I’ll teach you when I get back.”

“Take me with you, Mama. I wanna meet Gram-mama Rora.”

Sothis looked down. “It’s not safe for you to go with me.”

Lucien put Serenity on his shoulders and ran down the beach. “Don’t you want to stay with me? No bed time, you can watch television and we’ll make s’mores.”

Squealing with joy, she clapped her hands.

Fuzzy images whirled together, tangled with piercing shards of pain.

Angry at her mama, Serenity sat on the stairs, watching her parents through the wooden pegs of the banister.

Her mama stood in the open doorway, smiling at her daddy. “Give Serenity a hug. Tell her I love her.”

“She’ll get over it. Kids are resilient. Don’t let those witches—”

“I’ll come back as soon as I can. Don’t worry. I love you.” She gave him a long kiss that never seemed to end.

Surrounded in a halo of sunlight, Sothis waved goodbye.

A buzz saw hacked at memories, blasting in her ears with a shrill sound, tearing at the fibers of her mind. Distorted images tumbled and disintegrated into black.

Her father tucked her into bed and read a letter from her mother.

“I miss Mommy.” She cried, crumpling the letter. “When is she coming home?”

“Soon, I hope. The witches at Aten are making things difficult. They’re trying to make her feel guilty.”

“I don’t like those mean witches.”

“Not all witches are bad,” he said in a soothing tone.

“Like Gram-mama Rora?”

He nodded. “Like Grandma Aurora.” He wrapped her in a hug. “How about I tell you a story to help you fall asleep?”

She sniffled. “Tell me about the firebird with two souls.”

“It’s a phoenix with one soul split into two different bodies.”

With a jarring electric jolt Serenity became aware of Adriel for a second before he faded away in a shadowy miasma of fractured memories.

Chasing a purple ball, she ran into the front yard, laughing. She kicked the ball back to her father. When he picked it up, his smile faded.

“Kick it back, Daddy!”

He wasn’t looking at her. She turned to see two black vehicles coming down the street.

“What’s wrong, Daddy? Throw me the ball.”

“No, sweetheart. We’re going in the house to play hide and seek instead.”

Her father whisked her into his arms with such force it stole her breath. He ran around the side of the house, dashed through the kitchen and down into the basement. He set her behind old boxes. “I want you to stay here. Don’t come out until I find you.”

“This is stupid. You already know where I am.” She pouted.

“I need you to stay here. Be very quiet.” His face was serious as if they weren’t really playing a game.

“Can you turn on the light?”

“I can’t, sweetheart. If someone else calls you, don’t come out.”

“But I’m scared of the dark,” she whispered, beginning to shake.

“You’re going to be Daddy’s brave girl. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded, and then her father was gone.

A shadow scurried in the darkness and she scooted back until she hit a wall. She closed her eyes and put her head down on her knees.

Floorboards creaked upstairs—footsteps, lots of footsteps. Something heavy crashed to the floor. Shouting. A man screamed.

Silence.

The door to the basement opened. Light crept in.

Someone walked slowly down the stairs. Her heart beat in her throat. She raised her head and saw legs moving until a man reached the concrete floor of the basement.

“Hello cherub,” the man said.

She didn’t recognize the voice.

He circled the basement, weaving around boxes. “I’m Archimedes. I’m your mommy’s uncle, which makes me your great-uncle. You can call me Uncle Archie. I know you’re down here. I can feel you. Make it easy and I’ll give you a treat.”

She swallowed hard as the man drew closer. A bitter taste filled her mouth and she thought she might be sick. Shaking, she pulled her legs in tight.

“You don’t need to be afraid. I’m family, cherub.” He stopped in front of the box where she hid. “Come out and you can see your daddy.” He reached for her, but she bit his hand.

Her nails cut into her legs as she formed a ball.

Sweet laughter cut through the darkness. “You’ve got your mother’s spirit. I like that.”

He lifted her. She struggled to break free, kicking and scratching.

Calm and joy stroked her like comforting fingers all over her body. By the time they reached the stairs, she stopped fighting, floating on a cloud of happiness that lured her into sedation.

“Isn’t that better, cherub? You and I are going to be best friends.” He carried her upstairs into the living room.

Her father sat in a chair, eyes closed, head slumped to the side. Handcuffs locked him to the chair. A man with long dark hair stood behind him. He smiled when he saw Serenity.

“That’s your Uncle Archelaus. He had to make your daddy take a nap.”

Two men lay on the floor twisted like broken dolls. The green sofa and coffee table were turned over. Books and broken glass littered the carpet.

Archimedes stepped over the broken bodies, sat down and dandled her from his knee.

“When will Daddy wake up?” she asked in a quivering voice.

“By the time he wakes up your mommy will be home.”

“Mommy’s coming home!”

Archimedes swung his ponytail over his shoulder and she ran her fingers over the silky strands. He had straight, cherry brown hair like her mama.

He looked up toward the door, along with Archelaus. Another man with dark hair walked into the room, with a pretty lady.

“Wave to your Uncle Archippos.”

Another boost of happiness pumped into her. Serenity waved to the man.

Archippos winked and waved two fingers. “They’re here,” he said and moved to the doorway of the dining room.

Serenity glanced at her father whose eyes were still closed. She chewed her lip as her mouth went dry. Her pulse quickened and she began to shake.

A surge of carefree calm caressed her and she rested her head back against her uncle.

“I won’t leave them,” her mother said from the porch. “She’s too young. She needs me, maybe when she’s older.”

“Mom—”

Uncle Archie covered her mouth. Panic seized her, only for a second, and she relaxed into his chest as soothing bliss made her drowsy.

“The
Sodalitas
needs you now,” a man with a deep voice said. “Bring them with you.”

“Things have changed,” her mother said. “My life is complicated now. I can’t serve you any more than I can serve Aten. I’m sorry, Father.”

“Is this about the child or your
kabashem
? I’m sure his ideals will make it hard for you to execute your duties faithfully, but—”

“Lucien and I are sealed. I’ve even taken human vows of marriage.”

“You made a vow to us first.”

Silence.

“Who is inside?” her mother asked.

Keys jangled.

“There’s something I want you to see,” the man said.

The key turned in the lock and the door opened.

Her mother scanned the room, growing pale.

Uncle Archie removed his hand from Serenity’s mouth.

“Mommy, you’re home!” In a yellow dress with flowers, her mother glowed bright as an angel. She tried to go to her mother, but her uncle fastened an arm around her waist. “Put me down.”

“Can’t, cherub.” Uncle Archie kissed her cheek and leaned back.