The Shadow: The Original's Trilogy Read online

  She stared out the window. “This is the address James gave me.”

  He turned off the engine and got out of the car. His wound had almost healed, but still sent a twinge of pain through his skin. He scanned the darkened forest at the edges of the property. They were in the lower Cascades, less than an hour from the Haven House. There were no sounds of traffic or planes, just the low chirp of frogs and the rattle of leaves in the wind.

  “You stick tight to me.” He took hold of her hand, leading the way to the front door. He knocked. After a few moments, he knocked again.

  A clatter came from behind the door, followed by a masculine curse.

  Duncan glanced at Trina, who shrugged.

  The door swung open to reveal a bare-chested blond-haired man in blue jeans and a robe that hung open in the front. Ignoring Trina, he eyed Duncan with a heavy-lidded gaze before taking a long swig of his beer. “I have to admit, I didn’t”—he hiccupped—“expect an a-ssas-sin-in to be quite so polite as to knock.” By the sound of things, he’d had more than one drink.

  “We’re not assassins.” Trina held her hand out. “My name is—”

  He did a double take. “Where’d you come from?” His gaze narrowed. “You’re not here to send us to the great beyond?”

  Duncan shook his head. “Just want to talk, mate.”

  “Well, then.” He hiccupped. Swayed. “Fuck off.”

  The door slammed shut. The lock clicked into place.

  Duncan closed his eyes. “Please tell me that sotted cabbage ain’t the Historian.”

  “No. We’re looking for a female.”

  “Right. Augustina—I’d forgotten.” He motioned to the door. “It’s a protected house, Duchess. I can’t enter without an invitation . . . unless you happen to be inside already.”

  With a huff and a roll of her eyes, she held up her fisted hand in front of the door. As she spread her fingers, the door dissolved into trillions of tiny white dots. When she moved forward they scattered like tiny ping-pong balls. The door shield dissolved as she entered the house. He followed, holding his breath so he didn’t inhale anything, brushing the tiny bits away from his face and shirt. Once they were both inside, she swept her hand back toward the door. All the tiny specks of white flew back into their places as the door solidified again.

  “You’re brilliant.” Terrifying, but brilliant.

  The blond-haired human came around the corner at the end of the hall. “How’d you get in here?”

  Duncan put himself between Trina and the human. “Have an appointment with the Historian.”

  “Ya don’t.” The blond waved them away. “She’ll be pissed as hell. She don’t hold her liquor well as I do.” His whole body jerked with another hiccup.

  Augustina was drinking liquor? He’d always assumed she was a vampire, but apparently not. “Do this often, do you?” He’d never had much patience for drunks.

  He shook his head. “Never. Figured if we were going to die tonight, we may as well try something new.” He shuffled off down the hall, waving for them to follow. Halfway, he paused and turned toward Duncan. “Suggested trying all the positions in the Kama Sutra, but she felt it’d be undignified to get caught with our pants down.” He waggled his brows.

  What the bloody hell was going on in this house? “Oh? You expecting Guardians?”

  “Nah.” He waved the question away. “Sentries.”

  That’s the last thing they needed. Sentries were Black Tamanouses, not vampires. Nothing as simple as a door shield would stop them. He pulled Trina close. “It’s not safe. Let’s go.”

  “What are Sentries?”

  “The Vampiric Council’s personal guard. If they’re coming, you don’t need to be here.”

  The guy slumped against the wall. “You two coming or going?”

  He held up his hand, signaling they needed a moment.

  “We need to see the Historian.” She brushed passed him, pushing his hand down.

  Duncan let out a string of curses.

  The drunk opened a door at the end of the hall that led to a dark room. “Go on. I still need to get her another drink.”

  Trina slipped into the room while Duncan got hung up trying to sidle around the drunken fool in the small hallway. He didn’t like this. While the Guardian tended to have a set code of ethics, the Sentries were warped by their constant involvement with the Council. He didn’t want the unscrupulous bastards anywhere near Trina.

  When he got into the room, he came up short. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Maybe a little old lady with thick glasses surrounded by huge volumes of books. But the woman appeared no older than thirty. Thin, shapely, she lay sprawled across an armchair, her head resting on one arm with her long auburn hair trailing over the side, her jean-clad legs dangling over the other. “Did you get my drink, darling?”

  The massive room had a small sitting area in the entry—four armchairs positioned around a low table—but farther in, the ceiling rose two stories high. That part of the room had been left barren. Why? What kind of daemon was she?

  “Robert?” The woman turned her head. Her eyes widened. She struggled into a sitting position before getting to her feet. “It’s not often someone can sneak up on me. You’re not who I was expecting. Where’s Robert?”

  Why was she ignoring Trina? What was it with people? “Getting you another drink.”

  “Ah, very good.” She nodded. Blinked. “Who are you?”

  Trina stepped forward. “James Pasquino sent us to—”

  The woman’s attention jerked to Trina. Her eyes widened. “Oh, my.” The woman walked a tight circle around Trina. “Amazing. James told me about you, of course, but I wasn’t certain I believed him.” She touched Trina’s cheek. “I didn’t see you.”

  A shiver made Trina’s body jerk.

  Duncan pulled her back against him. “You blind?”

  He’d directed his question to the Historian, but Trina answered. “For a couple years now, people don’t see me unless I draw their attention. Except if Lilith’s around.”

  “I see you.”

  She met his gaze. “Yes. You do.”

  That might explain why those mercs didn’t see her but he still called bullshite. He expected her to believe she’d been in the military and been invisible? How the hell had that worked? As soon as they got out of here, he had some questions and she damn well better stop lying.

  The Historian waved them away. “You shouldn’t have come. It isn’t safe. The Sentries will arrive any time now.”

  Trina shook her head. “Why are you sitting here waiting for them? Come with us, we’ll protect you.”

  “All Historians have the sight.” Augustina scoffed. “It’s both a blessing and a curse. Not only can I see what will happen if I stay, I can also see what will happen if I run. If I fight. If I go into hiding again.”

  Robert entered the room and handed Augustina a martini. His free hand slipped around her waist.

  The Historian leaned into him, brushing his cheek with hers. He’d always envied couples who had such affinity for each other.

  Her attention returned to them. “Trust me, it is for the best of all involved if we meet our end now.”

  Duncan gave Trina a squeeze. “Ask your questions. I need to get you out of here before they arrive.”

  *****

  Trina swallowed. The knots in her gut wound tighter. The Historian had an aura of stern gentleness, much like that of a mother interacting with her child, but still, she feared what the Historian might say. Not that she doubted she would tell the truth. She’d helped James and Lilith. She’d help her and Duncan if only because of her debt to James.

  The Historian sighed. “We may as well be comfortable.” She waved them toward the chairs as she sat. Robert half sat, half leaned on the arm of her chair. “You may call me Augustina, by the way.”

  Trina sat in the chair adjacent to Augustina’s. Duncan took position behind her. No doubt because he had a good view of the entire
room and the door. The fact that he was worried about the Sentries had her spooked, too. She introduced herself and Duncan, and, sensing his impatience, got down to business. “A couple of days ago, we discovered that whenever I touch Lilith, her skin turns black. Now, even talking to her on the phone infects her. I think it’s because of the changes in my Magic, but I don’t know how to fix that, either.”

  Augustina nodded. “Tell me about the changes.”

  Where to start? Did she start with her accident with Trevor? No. That had been a case of her not paying attention. What had been happening lately was different. “It’s more powerful the last few days, despite wearing this dampener.” She touched her choker. “This minimizes my Magic to a level I can control, but I don’t trust myself.”

  Augustina took a sip of her martini. “Ah, you see, dear, that is part the problem.” Augustina stood and began walking around them. “You’re one of the most powerful beings on two worlds. The shadow-self of the Original. The dark part of her soul, so explain to me why you have come here in this form.”

  Her gut twisted as she remembered the Ten of Swords. “What other form would I come in? This is the only one I have.”

  “The Original is both vampire and witch. You are only witch. You have access to both James and Duncan; they can transform you, yet you are still human. Why?”

  Was she crazy? “A witch who becomes a vampire loses her Magic.”

  Augustina stopped in front of her. “A witch, yes. Not the Original. Has Lilith lost her Magic?”

  No. If anything Lilith’s Magic had gotten stronger after James bit her . . . shit. “This started when James tried to transform Lil.” Lilith’s Magic had gotten stronger and hers had, too. “Except before we could communicate telepathically and afterward we couldn’t.”

  “You’ll likely be able to do so once you’ve accepted who you are. So, I’ll ask again. Why have you not submitted to transformation?”

  Her throat swelled. “I don’t know if I believe that I’m part of the Original.”

  “Liar.”

  She shifted in her seat as her face heated.

  Augustina pointed to Trina’s left arm. “Take your arm out of the sleeve.”

  Trina sat up and wriggled free of her jacket, jumping a little when Augustina grabbed her arm and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to bare her shoulder.

  A small smile curved her lips. “Sneaky. Tried to hide it with a tattoo, huh?

  Not just any tattoo. It was a spell that read: During this life, I belong to no man. At the time, she’d been devastated by what she’d done to Trevor. She didn’t want to risk hurting anyone else. Now . . . now she had a mate and she had no idea what that spell might do to him.

  “What?” Duncan leaned over to look, too.

  “I have a birthmark. A reversed crescent moon.”

  “Exactly the opposite of Lilith’s.” Her gaze focused on Trina. “Try again, and tell me the truth this time. Why have you not submitted?”

  All her old fears came bubbling up to the surface. Everything she’d spent her life fighting against. “I mess things up. Everything. Ever since I was a kid. No matter how good my intentions, I make things worse. I hurt people. I don’t intend to . . . sometimes it’s a careless thought, an angry word. Sometimes it’s nothing I consciously did. While I was away from here . . . from the coven and Haven House, things were better for a while. I had a good life . . . and then . . . . Just look at Lil. I came back to help her, but because of me, Crowley got away, Armageddon started, Lilith is sick and seems to be getting sicker.”

  “Mm.” Augustina nodded. “Soon she’ll become the Shadow which you emulate.”

  Her stomach sank. “What do you mean?”

  “She’ll disappear.”

  Her chest grew tight. She was killing her best friend just by existing. This couldn’t be happening.

  Duncan came around the side of her chair. “She’s part of the Original, in’nit? Shouldn’t you be showing a little respect?”

  “Bah. She’s nothing.”

  Trina flinched. “I don’t want to be evil. I don’t want to always cause hurt and pain and death.”

  Augustina slammed back the remainder of her drink. She ignored her, speaking to Duncan, instead. “Until she accepts herself, she can’t be more than nothing.” She pointed the glass toward her. “Bad things come to those who deny their true selves, girly. Pain comes to those who resist.”

  A tear slipped from her eye and she dashed it away. “I am my true self.”

  “You lie.” She leaned over Trina, bracing her hands on the arms of the chair. The scent of strong spirits laced her breath. “You lie. You’ve been lying. What’s worse is all the lies you tell, you’ve told yourself. You’ve lied to yourself for so long, you believe them.”

  Duncan eased the Historian back. “Easy, now.”

  The Historian’s full attention shifted to Duncan. “You won’t be saying that for long, Guardian; her lies will affect you, too.”

  Trina straightened. “You mean I’ll affect him like I do Lilith?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “Maybe in other ways.”

  Duncan tapped his fingers against the back of her seat. “You’ve seen this, for certain?”

  “No.” She ran her hands through her hair, turning her attention to Trina. “I can’t see you in my visions. Common sense dictates that when one part of a being functions abnormally, all parts are affected. A broken bone in the smallest toe will cause a limp, damaging the knee, the hip, the spine . . . the temperament of the body. You and Lilith are parts of a whole, dear. Her mate is part of her.” She slid a meaningful glance up to Duncan before spearing her with a speaking look. Duncan was her mate—a part of her—so he’d be affected, too.

  Her stomach knotted. “And if I become a vampire, she’ll be better?” He’ll stay safe?

  “Should.” She shrugged. “You need to embrace who you are. You are the queen of daemon kind. That might not always look pretty, you may have to do difficult things to hold your place, but your throne, your people await you on Machon. Your people will see you. They will know you. But until you accept yourself, you, Lilith”—she set a pointed glance on Duncan—“and all those around you, will suffer.”

  “You make it sound so easy. Too easy.” But she didn’t know. She hadn’t seen her or her future any more than the Watchers had.

  “Easy?” Augustina laughed. “Nothing about this is going to be easy. You and Lilith together are daemon kind’s judge, jury, and executioner. Together, you are our law. And soon, all of daemon kind, including the Watchers, will look to you for guidance. It’s not going to be easy. Sometimes it’ll be violent. Bloody. Terrifying. But we need you.”

  Could she do that? Could Lilith? It all sounded so surreal.

  Augustina nodded to Duncan. “That’s why the Watchers sent you him. Why they sent James to Lilith. You both need someone who will watch your backs. Someone loyal.”

  “What about Crowley?” Duncan asked. “And the Council? Why do they want her?”

  Augustina took her seat again and Robert took her hand in his. She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it. “It’s cloudy. All I know is what I’ve seen from visions of Leopold, but I don’t see everything the way the Watchers do—he’s a snake. He made some kind of deal with Crowley years ago. That I know. Crowley hasn’t completed his end of the bargain, but Leopold completed his. That I know. Crowley has disappeared without a word and Leopold is scared. That I know. Leopold is surrounding himself with Sentries and has sent some here for me. While he hasn’t said so out loud, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sends them to you next. Whatever his ultimate plan, he’s aware of the Watchers and doesn’t want them to know—but they’re not stupid. If I can figure out what he’s up to, so can they.” She met Trina’s gaze. “As for Crowley, he’s as invisible to me as you are.”

  Trina looked at Duncan. “Who’s Leopold?”

  “He’s the bloody wanker who leads the Council. Shady, that one.” Duncan folded his ar
ms over his chest. “Isn’t that odd? That you can’t see Crowley?”

  “Not really. I can’t see Watchers. Or Trina. There are others I’ve met throughout my lifetime that I couldn’t see in visions. Aside from those anomalies, there’s Magic—a shielding that can be placed over a person or dwelling, that hides those inside from seers and Watchers temporarily.”

  His gaze returned to Augustina. “What bargain did he make?”

  She shrugged. “Leopold has never spoken of it.”

  Trina shifted in her seat. “Are you sure what’s happening with Lilith has to do with me and not Crowley? Humans captured him—”

  “What?” Augustina leaned so far forward she almost tipped out of her chair. “Humans have possession of Crowley?” She swayed as she glanced back at Robert. “I guess now we know what started Armageddon.” Her gaze returned to Trina. “You need to submit to transformation as soon as possible.”

  Trina nodded, though she wasn’t sure if she could go through with a transformation.

  “This is a big decision for her,” Duncan said. “We have time, don’t we? I mean, ain’t there a bunch of events that happen before Armageddon? War, famine, destruction of crops, and all that?”

  They all turned, staring.

  Robert snorted. “Where have you been? War has been ongoing for centuries. Famine, failed crops, animals dying off in great numbers, plagues.”

  “Have you not heard the progressively worsening news in the last three centuries?” Augustina asked.

  “All that’s been going on for ages. I—”

  “Yes, as predicted. Now everything comes to a head. We have the Cause in one hand. The Effect in the other.” She lifted her right hand, palm up. “One is the true symbol of evil—the true cause of Armageddon.” She raised her left hand, palm up. “And in the other a scapegoat—an easy victory. It’s your job to figure out who’s who and destroy the one that needs destroying. That is what will stop the End Times. Go to Machon. Talk to the Watchers. Gather your allies.”

  Machon? What good would that do? “The Watchers can’t see me.”