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Chapter Sixty
She burst through the door and Jenna greeted her frantically, pulling her into a desperate hug. "Oh my God, we didn't know…
"Where are they, are they here, are they okay?" Anna cut in, her voice climbing.
Jenna took her arm and led her into the living room where Matthias and Seth were trying to coax Michael and Coderin out of their coma like states. Tyros was seated in a corner and he tracked her movements, his eyes flashing like emergency flares. Jess was kneeling beside him rubbing his neck.
Anna rushed over and placed her hands on Michael and Coderin, focusing all of her concentration on the task. She could feel terror and madness and she focused harder, stripping it away from them like mental mummy wrap.
The two males began making whimpering noises and she felt a surge of relief, hers or theirs she wasn’t sure. And then they were back.
Michael sat up first, Coderin shortly after. Their eyes were wide, but awareness was seeping in. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment letting the horror of what they felt flow through and out of her. Her stomach was clenching and she willed herself not to lose its contents.
Finally their breathing became normal. "Okay, I'm okay," Michael said, and Coderin nodded weakly.
She noticed Matthias was looking at her strangely and then Michael focused on her and his eyes widened.
"He mated with you," came his incredulous whisper.
Anna's brows shot up, "What? What do you mean?"
"His scent is pouring off you," Matthias answered.
Anna shook her head in disbelief. Mated? They must just be talking about sex because they couldn't mean that he'd claimed her as his one and only. But then she recalled the shocked look on his face and suddenly knew what it might have been about. "I thought the mating bond was a choice," she gasped out.
"It is," Michael gritted, his eyes flashing with anger.
But Matthias shook his head "No…,” he said slowly, “not always. It’s very rare but occasionally it's a compulsion. I've heard of males who didn't realize it would happen until the moment before release. Supposedly that indicates a soul mate, stronger than any other bond."
Anna shook her head firmly, "No, that can't be true."
"Don't worry Anna," Michael said through clenched teeth, "he meant to do it."
Her brows drew in.
"If he’s bonded with you he can track you where ever you go. Protection wards won’t work, he can come right into this house, on top of which he can take your body whenever he wants, no permission required. That bastard!" Michael’s hands clenched into fists.
Matthias held up a hand. "You're getting ahead of yourself Michael," he stated and Seth nodded agreement.
Michael turned to him, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"If it wasn't for him we might not be here right now. I was losing steam and there were still too many, I wouldn't have lasted much longer."
Once again Seth nodded, this time adding, "I've never seen anyone fight like he did."
Michael’s expression changed to confusion. He'd been out since before Jared had arrived so he hadn’t known the male had fought with them.
But Anna couldn't let them think he'd done it out of the kindness of his heart. "He only helped you because I vowed to give him my body if he did," she said quietly.
They all turned to her.
Michael’s fists clenched again. "That motherfucker!"
Michael had just said motherfucker, this night kept getting more twisted.
"Hold on," Matthias held up a hand once more, "What exactly happened Anna? You jumped on top of the demon attacking Michael…
"She did what?"
"...and the next thing I know you were yanked up and off the roof by Jared, and then he showed up and started tearing demon ass apart. They were afraid of him and started retreating, then he shouted something in the old language and they scattered. I saw you running towards us and he yanked you up in mid-stride and disappeared."
She bit her lip. "When he pulled me off the roof the first time he demanded to know why I was helping, what was in it for me. I couldn't speak at first then I begged him to help you and tried to get up but he threw me back down. That's when I gave him the vow. I didn't think he'd go for it, but he leapt up, and the rest you saw."
"And he took you back to his place?"
She nodded.
Jenna, Jess, and Harriet had been quiet throughout the entire exchange, but at this point Jenna burst in, "Did he hurt you?"
Anna looked at her. How to answer that? "He....no. I responded.” She felt her face heat and looked away. “Then at the end right before he, you know, he looked startled, and then afterwards he looked like someone who had just seen a ghost. Then he left." She felt tears welling again and stamped them down.
They were all silent for a moment. "I don't think he's fallen," Matthias said finally. Anna looked at him in surprise.
`
"I don't think a fallen vampire would have been compelled to help us for any reason. He could have just taken Anna and tortured a vow from her.”
Her thoughts exactly.
"I'm not even sure it's possible for a fallen vamp to bond," he added.
Michael looked away.
"And....there's one other thing. He is LeJariende’Dachielle."
Even Tyros looked up at that.
"What? How do you know?" Michael asked, his voice thick.
"Because when I was a child he visited the village I lived in with my aunt. He was courting a female there, the blonde and blue eyed healer variety. From what I remember she was a sweet soul. Then one day a mob of humans led by a demon possessed man burned our village to the ground. LeJarien came in like a violent storm, saving me and my aunt and some of the others, but it was too late for his female. He killed every last human in the mob. Then I heard not too many years later his mother was killed by humans as well, which in turn ended his father's life. He disappeared after that, some thought he was killed, while others thought that he'd turned because of his hatred for humans. But a male like that doesn't turn. And a turned male doesn't save others without serious gain for themselves. Which is why he wanted to know what was in it for Anna, because he assumes she's fallen. And why wouldn't he? There are no unturned females left as everyone knows, on top of which she dressed herself up like a member of the damned, tricked him, put him in the kind of intense pain only hell can match, and stole his belongings."
Anna shrank from his words. Put like that it seemed she was the bad guy in the situation. Was she?
"Hey, easy," Seth said sharply. "Anna had no way of knowing who he was let alone any of those other things. She’s only a child, she was just trying to help. If we were certain the male was fallen we wouldn't feel any remorse over his pain or loss of belongings, and she was definitely under that impression."
Anna appreciated the defense, but she couldn't help thinking there was truth to what Matthias said.
"Why do you all know his name?" she asked quietly.
Matthias turned to her, his expression still accusing. "He's only one of the greatest warriors of all time. Arguably the greatest warrior since vampires began to breed."
Anna sucked in a breath and glanced at Jenna who was looking at Matthias very strangely. Stricken.
"Jenna, what is it?"
She looked at Anna and shook her head forcefully.
Anna looked back at Matthias and said quietly, "You're right to view me that way. What I did was thoughtless, I should have considered he might not be a member of the damned. If I had, I would never have put him through that, or taken what was rightfully his. Even if he was turned, I'm not so sure what I did could be completely justified."
His face softened a bit and he nodded at her. "So he just left you in his house alone?"
She nodded weakly.
He seemed to be considering the entire situation.
Michael took the opportunity to speak. "Okay Matthias, I don't want to fight with you on this, the male is clearly and understandably a hero of yours, but you speak as if you know these things as fact. And although evidence suggests he's not turned, other than your very old memory you aren't certain of who he is. Nothing is certain yet, it remains to be seen."
Matthias looked like he was going to argue but thought better of it.
Anna's phone rang from the depths of her bag on the table and she stared at it for a moment before digging in and pulling it out.
Dad! Damn, she hadn't made her weekly call..."Hello?"
"Hi...honey. I haven't heard from you, so I got a little worried."
She stared down at the floor. His voice made her want to cry again so she bit her lip. "I'm sorry dad, I've just been so busy the time flew."
"No, it's okay, it's not as if I couldn't call you, which I did. So everything's fine?"
Emotion welled up in her, fine wasn't quite the word. "Yeah it's…" her voice broke a little.
"What's wrong?" his voice filled with alarm.
She forced herself to laugh. "No, no, I just stubbed my toe, ouch that hurt! Really everything's good."
"Okay. So how are your musician friends?"
God, she hadn't even told him she'd left the country again. "They're great, having a blast. Jenna and Jess joined me too."
"Oh good! That's good, I'm glad to hear that. Well, I'll let you get back to your friends. Tell them I said hello. I love you."
"I love you too." She swallowed thickly as she hung up. She realized the room was silent and when she glanced up all of the males were looking at her with varying degrees of sympathy and sadness.
Matthias cleared his throat. "I never even thought about the fact that your family is still living."
"Just my dad, I'm an only child and my mom died several years ago." She’d told Michael her history but she hadn’t spent much time with the others.
"I'm sorry," he said, and the others murmured the same.
She managed a smile. "I'm okay. Really. I just…my dad makes me feel...," she trailed off and they seemed to understand.
"Why don't we all get some much needed sleep," Seth suggested. "Then I think tomorrow we should relax for a day."
They headed for their rooms and Jenna asked Anna if she wanted to talk, but she shook her head. She needed to sort through her feelings alone first.
It took her a long time to find sleep, her mind going over and over the night's events. Her heart felt sore and a little empty. She had kept his shirt on, using it as a nightgown. The scent of him filled her nostrils and her body responded to it in ways she couldn’t put into words.
LeJariende’Dachielle. An ancient warrior. The moment Matthias had said it she’d heard Jack’s voice in her mind telling her about the prophecy, about the mate she was intended to have. It certainly would make sense of why she responded to him so strongly.
She finally drifted off, his face looming in her mind.
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