The Pentagram Child: Part 1 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) (55 page)

“It was Seth, he was the one to murder all those hikers, it was him all along.” I said making Draven frown and this was when I started to explain everything to him. I told him about my dream at his studio and also when I actually encountered him at the Auction in the storeroom. Of course I then had to explain why I hadn’t told him all this before, to which my lame answer of,

“I kinda forgot,” was one he didn’t care for.

“This has certainly changed things.” Draven said and when he started to get up I knew he would soon be leaving me to deal with this new information.

“But now we know that should make things easier right?” I asked pulling the covers up in front of me and sitting up to watch Draven as he dressed. He walked into what I presumed was a walk in wardrobe and came back out a few moments later wearing jeans and pulling down a vintage black T shirt that had some racing car logo on the front in faded white. I also notice he had put back on his leather cuffs that hid the Tartarus markings beneath.

I had asked him when we had been chatting last night how long before they healed or left his skin but he didn’t have any answers as he didn’t know. Not that I was bothered because let’s face it, I came with enough of my own scars. I think it was more the reminder that bothered me as I felt that they stood for a past I never wanted to look back on.

He came to stand at the end of the bed and he looked down as he did up his belt buckle, which looked like hammered metal with some kind of engine emblem on the front.

“Another gift from Vincent?” I asked nodding to his belt.

“Well I am predictable when it comes to gifts, but now it’s time for my favourite gift.” I was about to ask what when I felt my ankle being shackled and suddenly I was being pulled down the bed, covers and all.

“What are you…?!” I started but was cut off when Draven whipped the covers off me and bent over me at the end of the bed where my legs were now left dangling. Once there he then kissed my question right out of my brain and I arched up to him trying to get as much of him as I could get before he left.

“Mmm, I like eager morning Keira.” He said over my lips and I turned my head to moan into his neck.

“Then maybe you should stay and see just how eager morning Keira can get.” I said before sucking and kissing up his neck making him groan.

“And my Vixen is back and right where she should be.” He replied before turning his head also to retake my lips in a demanding kiss. The kiss lasted a while and we managed to get so caught up in the moment that I was surprised when he pulled back.

“By the Gods but temptation isn’t a word great enough to describe what you do to my control.” I gave him a coy smile before lifting my hips to meet the hard length of him I could feel pushing against his jeans. I smiled even more when it made him growl down at me.

“Then give in to temptation.” I suggested but one look at his pained expression and I knew his duty to protect me would come above all else. This was proven when he pushed off me and raked a frustrated hand through his hair as was his habit.

“Its fine, I know you have to go and deal with all this.” I said sitting up and covering my nakedness.

“I won’t be long.”

“I know and the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back and finish what you started.” I said winking at him making him groan again.

“You winking at me whilst sat on my bed half-naked and looking all wanton is quickly testing my control
again.”
He informed me, growling the ‘again’ part and I laughed.

“Well it’s lucky then that you’re a King and therefore have the natural born ability to delegate.” I said smirking and got my meaning across loud and clear.

“I like the way my Vixen thinks.” He said leaning in once more and kissing me, only briefer this time considering what usually happened once we got started.

“I will send someone in with breakfast, you must be famished?” He added and as soon as he said it my stomach felt like it had given up and started munching on itself.

“Uh…I could eat.”

After Draven left I decided to get a much needed shower as my hair was starting to look greasy after a night of sex, tales and nightmares. I didn’t want to be too long as I knew precious food would be here any minute, so I did what needed to be done and I did it quickly. Once I was out I then had the dilemma of possessing no clothes as I had left everything I brought with me at the hotel in Milan. So the only thing I could think of was maybe Draven had a shirt I could wear that might pass as a dress given our height difference.

I walked through the same door Draven had not long before and I quickly entered déjà vu territory. Where I had been expecting a miniature version of what he had at Afterlife the fact that it was the same size wasn’t what shocked me. But what did was the fact that the opposite side was filled to the brim with all summer clothes that I would have worn. I didn’t really know why I should have been shocked exactly seeing as this was Draven we were talking about but I still looked through the vast selection shaking my head.

In the end I picked out a pair of denim shorts that came with a braided tan leather belt, a duck egg blue vest top and a denim shirt that had pearl popper buttons. I was just tying the ends of the shirt into a knot at the front as I kicked on some flip flops when the door was knocked.

I think my stomach actually high fived the nearest organ it was that happy about the prospect of food.

“Come in.” I said as the door opened and a man in some sort of uniform stepped inside carrying a tray. He put down his burden on the coffee table at the seating area and then looked up at me, making me shout his name,

“Alex?”

“Hello Catherine.” He said calmly with those piercing grey blue eyes of his taking everything in.

“What are you doing here?” I said in a panic thinking if Draven found him I didn’t know what he would do, but of course I had ideas alright and what worried me was that they all included blood.

“I’m here to save you.” He replied closing the door and coming towards me.

“What do you mean?” I asked trying to resist the urge to take a cautious step back.

“I understand why you left me and it’s alright, it was always meant to be this way.” I started to shake my head so he carried on.

“My main reason for being with you was to keep you safe.”

“Safe from what?” I frowned not liking that our relationship was all a lie but knowing from the very beginning that it wasn’t ever going to turn into more than what we had.

“My job was to keep you safe for the prophecy and protect you from Seth.” He told me this time coming to me and taking my hands in his to hold.

“Seth?”

“Yes. He and others who are out there are also trying to take you.” I looked into his eyes and tried to find the lie there but I couldn’t see one.

“What do they want with me?”

“To keep you from reuniting with their King.”

“Draven?” He nodded and this was where I started frowning at him and pulled my hands from his to take a step back.

“If that is the case then why did you yourself try everything in your power to keep us apart? I mean at the time I understood it because you were my boyfriend but if what you say is true then why not tell me this from the very beginning?” I saw him take in a deep breath as if trying to compose his frustration at answering such a question.

“I knew if I dated you eventually the Lord would allow jealously to override any logical thought he was convinced was right. I was sent to set you two back into motion and played the part of a loving boyfriend to…well to basically rub his nose in it.” I listened to him speak and it all started to make sense. Which made me wonder what would have happened if Alex had in fact not been on the scene…the answer was a crippling one to realise as I knew it would have meant nothing. Draven wouldn’t have come back to me if he hadn’t considered Alex a threat. I knew that deep down.

“That’s why you kept standing me up isn’t it? Because you knew every time Draven would be there and it would force us closer together?” I asked and for a moment he looked sheepish.

“It was the only way. I needed you two back together.”

“You
did?” I asked frowning at the odd way he put that.

“The Fates did and therefore so did I as that was the reason I was sent to you.” Ok so put like that I suppose it made sense.

“So who is Seth?”

“He is the leader of a cult whose sole purpose is to put a stop to the prophecy and release the Titans.”

“What?!” I shouted knowing the depth of bad shit this would be for the world if this was to ever happen.

“We must leave.” He said trying to take my hand but I pulled back.

“Why and where?”

“We need to find the King and tell him all I have learnt, as I fear Seth and his men are getting closer to making their move.” Ok so I liked the idea of finding Draven more than going somewhere without him and I thought it was best to let Draven decide what was best to do right now, so I agreed.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Draven

After painfully leaving Keira I walked back into my office and knew it was Vincent that I had to thank for restoring the room back to the way it was before my temper had got the best of me.

“I contacted Lucius as I knew this news would include him.” Vincent said as soon as I closed the door. I looked around the room and saw my brother was leant by my desk with his feet crossed at the ankles, whereas my sister was lounging on the red leather chesterfield chair looking at her nails. I had mentally sent them both a brief idea of what was happening on the way here, so I didn’t have to waste my time in explaining.

“Where is he?” I asked, only my response came from the man himself.

“He
is on a plane.” Lucius said over the hidden speakers in my office. I frowned at hearing this until my brother elaborated.

“He is following a new lead on this Seth character.”

“Good. There has been a development as now Keira thinks he isn’t as he appears.” By the Gods but even saying her name had my gut twisting in need just to get back to her.

“How so?” Sophia asked frowning in concern at the part that I had not yet explained.

“She dreamt of him and believes he might be the one behind the massacred hikers in Evergreen Falls.” I informed her causing her to shake her head before she said,

“But it was only a dream.”

“Yes and I am not taking any chances, not again. Besides, how many times have we known Keira’s dreams to be wrong?” I repressed the urge to shudder at the thought knowing what she had been through.

“I am already looking into that but found some useful information from an unlikely source.” Lucius said on the other end of the phone.

“Explain.”

“Well it seems your least favourite Viking investigated the slaughtered scene before the humans could get involved.” I growled low at just the mention of that big disrespectful bastard!

“And what did he discover?” It was Vincent who asked this as one look at my face and he knew I wasn’t this minute up to the simple task.

“Well that’s the interesting part…”

“Trust you to find a massacre interesting.” Sophia said interrupting him and I shot her an irritable look making her hold up her hands in mock innocence as Lucius merely laughed.

“Continue.” I snapped feeling my control slipping the longer I was kept from my girl.

“We are looking at two separate events that happened within hours of each other.” Lucius said pausing to what sounded like speaking with the pilot.

“Does that mean there are two working together and one tried to clear the scene?” Vincent asked.

“Quite the opposite actually. Sigurd told me that he found evidence of two supernatural beings. The first was the one to cause the initial slayings and there seems to be very little reasoning other than maybe it was a diversion of some kind. However the second, well…”

“Well what?!” I demanded stepping closer and I think if he had been in the room fists would have flown for how much he was dragging this out.

“The bodies had all been dismembered and their limbs had been placed in a symbolic way, then used in a ritual. However, it was one even Sigurd had not seen before.” Upon hearing this news my eyes closed and I held the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger as if trying to ease the pressure that was building along with my mounting rage.

“Needless to say he did his duty to our kind and rearranged the bodies in an attempt of hiding the truth and making it more believable that it could have been an animal attack.” Lucius added making Vincent nod at the importance of keeping our kind hidden from the mortal world. I, on the other hand, cared little for the matter considering this meant Keira could again still be a target.

“Find out what you can, I gather we are to stay here for the time being?” Vincent said looking to me.

“Indeed.” I answered no doubt sounding strained as I was closing in on my limit to hearing anything more before I fled to room to go in search of her. The compulsion to simply hold her was one I was fighting every second the longer I was having this meeting.

“So what about the Nephilim scum?” Sophia asked raising a good point.

“For the time being he has vanished.” Lucius informed me causing my spine to tighten.

“What do you mean?!”

“I do believe he went missing from the hotel in Milan a few hours before the Ball. I still have my men looking for him…” Lucius said but was cut off when Vincent also added his confession,

“As do we but our men also have found nothing.” Then he turned guilty eyes to me.

“You knew of this?” I accused but it was our sister that came to his aid,

“You have been a little busy, Dom.” To which I knew I had no excuse.

“I knew the importance that last night meant to you so took matters into my own hands in dealing with a situation to which you would have dealt with no differently.” Vincent said and I knew he was right.

“As touching as all this sounds, can we please get back to the matter at hand. There is something you should all be aware of.” Lucius said sarcastically which was not surprising.