My Merlin Awakening (7 page)

Blake colored. “Oh.”

Grey made an annoyed sound. “Watch what you’re saying about my sister, Vane.”

Everyone already suspected the term “we went on a couple of dates” translated to “we spent the night not sleeping a couple of times.” I sputtered, “Matt and I did n-not—”

“Right.” Gia winked and sent Vane a gleeful glance.

I glared at Gia. She was not a Vane fan. I got that. Did she have to go out of her way to antagonize him?

Vane’s hands tightened on my shoulders painfully. He didn’t like the idea of putting Matt and me in the same sentence, much less a bed. He pulled me into the hallway away from the others, saying loudly, “We can use your connection to do a spell.”

I frowned at him in confusion. He shook his head in silent message and I finally got it. I hadn’t told my friends or Grey about Matt and the mind-reading abilities of the amulet. Not because I was trying to hide it; it had yet to come up. I didn’t know why Vane seemed to want to keep it secret. Before I could ask why, Vane mouthed, “
Trust me
.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, “Just try listening with the amulet, DuLac.”

“He’s going to know.”

“Don’t be loud.” Vane gave me a little push closer to the office door.

I gave him an irritated look. How was I supposed to be “not loud” while trying to read someone’s mind? Pushing the irritation away, I closed my eyes.

It was like turning a key. In my mind, the office came through with crystal clarity. Sylvia sat behind the mammoth writing desk, separating her from Matt. As if she needed to place a barrier between them. Matt stood next to one of the large armchairs facing the desk.

“He can’t come here!” Sylvia said, her face pale.

“The Council received the message just yesterday. I rushed back to them and then straight here. He will only agree to come to Ragnar manor,” said Matt. “The gargoyle king has asked to see you specifically, Sylvia, and I want you to agree.”

The walls of the spacious office seemed to shrink around Sylvia. Trees knocked against a thick-paned window and even though it couldn’t have possibly allowed any of the winter chill inside, Sylvia shivered. She glanced at the picture of Alexa on her desk, as well as the walls upon walls of leather-bound books that appeared to have not been read in years. She avoided looking at Matt.

“I c-can’t,” she said. “You don’t understand.”

“You must,” he said. “Rourke has promised to give us something we desperately need in exchange for this meeting. Something I have been seeking ever since Excalibur was pulled from the stone. If you care at all about Grey and Ryan, you need to allow this. Their future—no, all our futures will be changed if you do this.”

“That is what I’m afraid of,” Sylvia muttered.

“I have a small army outside for your protection, but I doubt we’ll need it.”

“He won’t hurt me,” Sylvia said. “But I won’t risk Grey and Ryan—”

“No need to worry. I will have them taken out of here tonight.”

“Ryan doesn’t want to leave,” Sylvia said. “A lot has happened. She needs time to recover and lick her wounds for a bit.”

Matt rubbed his forehead. “There is no time left. It ran out as soon as the second tremor occurred.”

“If they find out about Rourke, they won’t go,” Sylvia said.

 “Once I tell Vane who is coming tomorrow, he won’t give her a choice.”

I’d heard enough. Seething with anger, I let go of Matt’s mind. The link untethered with a loud snap. My eyes flew open. Footfalls sounded inside the office. “Whoops.”

Vane hissed at me, “I told you to be quiet.”

The office doors flung open. Matt halted at the sight of me standing in the hallway. His lips thinned in a strict line of disapproval. He looked over my shoulder at his brother. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

CHAPTER 4 – A HAUNTED HOUSE

CHAPTER 4
A HAUNTED HOUSE

“What’s going on?” Grey asked.

“The gargoyle king wants to see Sylvia and she’s going to let him.”

“What? I’m not letting that monster near her.” Grey rushed toward the office to see his mother.

Matt moved to let him by. He took a few steps into the hall.

“How can you ask this?” I asked.

“Rourke didn’t attack Alexa, you know that.”

I was about to grumble, “They’re all the same,” when he beat me to it.

“They are not all the same. We need to find out why Excalibur is here. He can tell us.” Matt took another step toward us. “I am not here on a whim. I was not removed as Second Member. I asked to be released—for this reason. We need to know why the sword has been sent to us. You saw my vision today. I’m trying to stop it.”

“You had a vision?” Blake asked. “Was it bad?”

“Very bad,” I said. “What does it have to do with Rourke?”

“I am hoping Rourke knows how we can stop it.”

Vane moved to stand beside me. “You haven’t answered the question. Why does Rourke want to come
here
?”

“I don’t know,” Matt repeated impatiently. “I’ve agreed to the meeting to find out.”

I took a breath. “Is it because of me? Does he think he can turn me into one of them?” A gargoyle. Just the thought left me horrified. An old memory of a cold monster with protruding fangs and long claws jumped to the surface of my mind. Red blood on white stone tile. One of them had torn my mother apart and tried to do the same to me.

Vane squeezed my shoulder. “Just because you have some remnant gargoyle genes, it doesn’t make you a gargoyle.”

“You’re not one of those beasts,” Gia said fiercely.

“Admittedly, while we do not know everything about them, you have not shown any ability to turn,” Matt soothed. “I doubt you ever will.”

Gargoyles looked like regular humans. It was only when they turned that the true beast underneath became visible. My first boyfriend, Morgan, had been a gargoyle. He’d been sent to find out if I was a Candidate and kill me if I was. He’d almost succeeded.

Sylvia walked out of the office. Grey followed at her heels.

“Mom, you are being ridiculous. The gargoyles are monsters—”

Sylvia held up a hand. “Enough. If Master Emrys says we must, then we must. I deal with gargoyles on a regular basis, Grey.”

“What!” Grey exploded.

Sylvia tapped her foot. “At the bank, Grey.” She gave me an anxious look. “But I would like you two to be safe. Leave tonight.”

Grey crossed his arms. “I am not leaving you alone.”

I glanced at Sylvia. Her hands were fisted. She was digging her nails into her palms so deeply that she’d have marks. But what struck me was that she didn’t look scared, she looked stressed. Out of the front windows, I watched the guardians scramble. Some had taken positions in the trees. One stood half-visible on a trellis beside the garage. I’d seen one climb up to the balcony above us and I had no doubt more hid in other crevices of the manor.

“Why does he want to meet now?” Vane continued to press Matt.

Matt shrugged. “I received the message while traveling. They went to a bit of trouble to find me and the messenger who delivered his request hinted that there’s a compelling reason that the meet happen immediately. There has been no word from the gargoyles since Rourke was forced to concede Excalibur to us.” Matt’s eyes fixed on Sylvia. “My feeling is that he is in some sort of trouble.”

“Since when do we care if a gargoyle is in trouble?” Vane sneered. “It’s simple. If Ryan is here, then no gargoyle will be.”

Sylvia bit her lip in an oddly girly way. She was… nervous. For a second, I had a sense of her as a woman, not just a mother, and it startled me. She wanted to meet the king, I realized.

I made a decision. “Let me see the gargoyles and I’ll agree to go to England.”

***

Both Matt and Vane gaped at me.

“You would go back?” Matt said first.

“After I meet with Rourke,” I clarified.

Vane shook his head. “Unacceptable—”

“It will have to be acceptable,” I snapped. “If Rourke knows something about why Excalibur is here, then I deserve to know.” I surveyed Grey, Gia, and Blake. “All the Candidates deserve to know. If we don’t know why Excalibur matters, what is the point of further training?” I walked up to Matt. His eyes flared with surprise when I reached into his jacket. Matt held himself stiffly as the back of my fingers skimmed his ribs while I groped through the garment. I drew out the knife from an inside pocket.

I touched my amulet. The
Dragon’s Eye
glowed. The knife elongated. The golden hilt of Excalibur winked at us. My hands trembled and I held it out to Blake, Grey, and Gia.

“The sword is ours. It’s our right.”

***

Gia sat on my bed later that night in my room. “Do you really think whatever happens with Excalibur, it’s our right to know?”

I gave her a funny look.

She colored. “I mean—Merlin must have a reason for not telling us.”

“You sound like Blake. Matt isn’t always right.” I flopped down on the queen-sized bed next to her and lay back. Soft wrinkles covered the white ceiling. “We’re just puppets to him and he wants to stay the puppetmaster.”

“I’m sure he’d like to puppetmaster you,” she said tongue-in-cheek.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. “Funny.”

“Of course, there’s Vane. Is it me or is he more cut than when we were training every day?” She said the last part glumly, reluctant to give him any sort of compliment.

“He still trains everyday,” I said.

“Does he?” Gia said, her voice heavy with implication. “Do you train… together?”

I threw another pillow at her. “Stop, please.” I got up on one elbow and fixed her with a look. “What about Grey?”

Gia pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. “What about Grey? He’s been different since the rooftop. He’s shut me out so completely. It’s like he doesn’t want to feel anything.”

“I think we’re all different since the trial.” I flopped around on my stomach. French doors led out onto the balcony on the right side of my room. Light had faded into darkness, but it was a clear night. A cold moon anchored the abyss of the sky.

A brief knock sounded at the door behind us. Vane strode inside.

“Leave,” he said to Gia.

Gia sprang out of bed with an indignant expression. “You’re not our trainer anymore, Vane. We don’t worship the ground you walk on.”

“
Virahyat
,” Vane commanded.

Gia blinked. Without another word, she walked out of the room.

I sat up on the bed. “What are you doing? You could have just asked her to go.”

“I don’t have time for niceties.”

I sighed. “She already hates you enough. Where did you send her?”

“The spell will wear off before she leaves the house.” Vane stalked forward until he reached the edge of the bed. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t take you out of here tonight.”

“You agreed downstairs—”

“No, Merlin agreed.”

I made a face. Vane would probably force me to leave just to spite Matt.

“You want to know as much as I do what Rourke says about Excalibur.” When Vane didn’t say anything, I knew I had the right argument. I continued, “Did you notice that Matt never answered why he was headed here?”

Vane’s eyes flared just a bit in surprise. Not because he hadn’t caught that, I was sure, but because I had. I moved to the edge of the bed and rose up on my knees to face Vane. “What have you figured out?”

“What will you do to find out?” Vane said flippantly.

“Maybe I’ll ask Matt—”

Vane caught me by the waist. “I think I’ve heard you say his name enough times for today.”

I raised my chin, brushing his nose with mine. “Vane.”

“That’s better.” His hands pulled up the bottom of my shirt to touch bare skin underneath. My pulse accelerated. There had been a lot of lip-locking during the past few months, but nothing past second base. My hands ran over Vane’s shoulders, hard, yet smooth. Shoulders I could anchor myself to and never let go. I inhaled his cologne—one of those with a name I couldn’t pronounce. The magnetizing scent of dark wood mingled with the coarse flavor of tobacco beckoned me closer. It surprised me a bit that he was wearing any fragrance. I was so used to seeing him in nothing but athletic track-pants that it didn’t seem as if he should smell of anything other than sweat.