Of Fate & Forbidden Desire (The Gatekeeper Duet #1)

10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

How can leaving one person spark such fear and uncertainty? -Dina

G iving Charleene one last look and hearing her sinful moan as she tried the soup I'd picked out for her, I couldn't stop the small smile from gracing my lips as I closed the door softly. Turning my thoughts to Coven politics, that I'd thankfully been away from while hunting the rogue, I felt my mood turn sour. I hated having to navigate the factions and all the gossiping. I was much more comfortable being out hunting than dealing with the simpering fools who never left the Coven or Hampstead's borders.

My foot tapped silently against the hallway carpet as I waited not that patiently for the lift. I'd only been away from Charleene for mere seconds, minutes at most and I felt ansty. She'd had a lot to deal with in the last forty-eight hours, and I found myself worrying about what all of these revelations were doing to her mind. She'd grown up a human, and had the narrow mindedness that automatically rejected any hint of the supernatural. Then add to that, the fact that she didn't want to come here. I kept waiting for her to break.

She consumed my thoughts as, on autopilot, I rode the lift back down to the lobby and stepped out into the weak autumn sunlight. Noise bombarded my sensitive hearing as folk called to one another in greeting, or held their own conversations. The odd human or two stopped, raising their phones and snapping pictures of what they thought was an abandoned mansion, instead of the hotel Vitae Aeterna. After the Scottish and English witch hunts, the witches had developed their glamour magic, to cleverly hide us all from humans. There was a fundamental difference in a supernatural's DNA given to us by the Fae that had created our races. The witches' glamour recognises those genes, allowing us to see the truth that humans couldn't.

Shaking off my wayward thoughts, I stepped onto the crowded street and turned in the direction of London's Coven. The Elders had resided in a mansion at the bottom of Bishop's Ave, bordering the huge park of Hampstead Heath, for centuries. The mansion had been added to as needed and as such now spanned just under 240,000sq feet and held around three hundred rooms.

“So the rumours are true, you're home.” His voice made my steps falter, as I thought to myself, what now ?

Turning my head I addressed him, “yes I'm home, not that it's any business of yours, Clarence.” I said, letting a little anger turn my voice cold. Since finding me, he'd presumed that because we shared the same twat of a Sire, that he—as the eldest— was entitled to know all of my comings and goings.

“Don’t be like that Adrina, we are family after all.” He purred, stepping into my path and forcing me to crane my neck to look at him. He was only 5ft 8 but my short stature meant that this close I'd get a crick in my neck before long.

“No, the same maniac Sired and abandoned us, that doesn't make us family.” I told him, staring straight into his dark green eyes, making them flick to red as I went to step around him.

“I hope one day you'll reconsider that stance Adrina,” he almost growled as his hand wrapped around the top of my arm. Clarence had found me at the London Coven just over two years ago and had refused to leave me alone ever since, unless I was away hunting. Apparently he'd been gathering up our Sire's discarded children when he abandoned them, but he’d not known about me. Well not until I'd bumped into him up in Edinburgh.

“And I hope that one day you'll leave me alone.” I deadpanned right back, yanking my arm free from him and striding away.

I had no idea why he was so interested in my joining his little band of rejects, because ultimately that's what we were, Alasdair’s rejects. I'd had a family once, one I loved in my own way, and I wasn't interested in having another. I was happy enough with the small few I called friends and my new life as a huntress. Shaking my head at his foolish nonsense I quickened my pace, eager to see the Elders and get back to Charleene.

The Coven's mansion loomed over me. It was a gorgeous building, a mixture of styles throughout the centuries as they’d added to it. I took another deep breath preparing myself for a lengthy wait, the Elders never did anything fast. Having had the luxury of so much time behind them, they had no interest in rushing anything, including seeing a returned huntress. Curtains twitched in the upper windows and I knew my peaceful time would be coming to an end sooner than I’d want. The main entrance doors opened, as I pushed through the silent wrought iron gates and walked calmly up the long gravel drive. My feet crunched with each step, the sound loud in the quiet surrounding the mansion. I firmly fixed my scowl in place as I drew closer to the open door and met Bethany’s smiling face.

She was the Coven’s most overzealous gossip and was unashamed about it, so it didn’t surprise me that she would be first to the door. Bethany was somewhere around six hundred years old and barely set foot outside the Coven’s walls, yet she was always hungry to hear about what was happening in the world.

“Adrina, you’re back, did you find the rogue?” her high pitched voice, grated against my ears as I brushed past her.

“We did.” I answered in a clipped tone, when she shut the door behind me and I saw Antonious’ familiar face. He was scowling at Bethany, much like myself, but for very different reasons.

Antonious was a Constant; a human that is fed vampire blood in small measures to be kept alive in order to serve the one they are bonded to. It was an outdated practice and one that was no longer tolerated, because the human bonded through blood loses part of themselves. Until, like Antonious, they only live to serve and please the one who created them. Hence his scowl at Bethany, she’d interrupted the duties he’d been tasked with, i.e, answering the door, maintaining the mansion and greeting guests to the coven .

“I can not believe you found him. Was it dangerous? Did he fight? Has he been dealt with? He isn’t coming here is he?” She rattled off in quick succession, either not noticing or ignoring Antonious’ glare.

Offering him a small smile, I took my jacket off and held it out for him to take. Hopefully that would pacify the desires that he was completing his duties and not make him take a crazy turn on Bethany. “I’ll address all of that with the Elders,” I told Bethany, before turning back to Antonious, “are they in residence?” I asked the formality, knowing they wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Antonious’ face softened a little as he answered in his usual quiet, raspy tone. “Yes, Huntress, however they are currently in a meeting.”

It was his standard response, but I nodded anyway. “Can you take me to them?”

“Yes Huntress,” he said, stepping past me, my jacket placed carefully over his arm, “this way please.” He motioned towards the grand staircase, before shuffling his feet in their direction, however we didn’t go up the red carpeted steps. Instead he led me down the side of them to another door.

I followed his stooped back, wondering how long I was going to have to wait for my own audience and Bethany, not taking the hint, followed. Her questions continued even when both me and Antonious ignored them. He led us through the door into a parlour of sorts, it had high ceilings and each wall was adorned with some of history's greatest works of art—originals of course. Chairs of various sizes and styles dotted about the space, and two large but unlit fireplaces dominated the two opposing walls at either end of the room.

There were no windows in this central room, which was perfect for our kind as even though sunlight wouldn’t kill us, we much preferred the night. The darkness was gentler on our sensitive eyes and had made it easier to hide and hunt before the invention of blood bags came about. It was probably why humans thought we only came out at night.

Conversations faltered as we stepped inside and pale faces watched us make our way through. Thankfully Bethany peeled off to join a gaggle of other women and their heads bowed together before Antonious and I had left the room .

“Thank God, she’s gone,” I muttered, gaining a soft croak of a laugh from the man in front of me. We wound through the mansion, passing painting after painting and many closed doors until we reached the corridor that housed the council chamber.

“You may wait here, I will let them know you are here Adrina.” Antonious rasped, bowing slightly in respect.

“Thank you Antonious,” I managed to say before he let himself inside the room and left me to my own devices. Sitting down on the chair closest to the door, I waited.

“Huntress Adrina,” Antonnious’ rasp made me jump when he returned almost immediately, “The Elders will see you now.” He continued, surprising me even more.

“Thank you Antonious,” I replied, standing and approaching the door.

I could count on one hand the times I’d been inside this imposing room. The first had been when Tilly had brought me to the Coven and the second had been when I’d passed the training to become a Huntress. Offering Antonious a small head nod, I strode confidently inside for the fifth time in my immortal life.

The room was circular, without windows and with a raised podium at one end. In the centre was a small drain, which hadn’t been used in at least a century, that I knew off. The walls and ceiling were all painted in navy blue to emulate the night sky, and low powered lamps which burned a dull orange, instead of the harsh white of modern electric lights, were dotted around. The council, two female vampires and three male, sat in their chairs above those who came to see them, reminding us that they were the hierarchy. Shadows obscured their faces so you couldn’t read their expressions.

“Elders.” I said upon reaching the centre of the room, and dropping to one knee, with my head bowed.

“Huntress Adrina, the Council recognises you,” Elder Bertrand answered in a soft voice .

“What do you have to report?” Elder Constance sneered, her high-pitched voice echoing her condescension around the room. For as long as I’d been a vampire there was something about that woman I despised. I couldn’t tell if it was the way she looked down her nose at everyone, or her snotty tone, but something about her grated on me the wrong way.

Raising to my feet, I looked up at the Elders and I recounted everything that had happened in York. When I mentioned Charleene, her powers and the interest the rogue seemed to have in her, there were a couple of mumbled grumbles, but nobody interrupted my account.

“So it is as we feared, the rogue is not working alone,” Elder Micheal stated after I finished. “This is troubling news.”

“It is Elder,” I responded, keeping my tone respectful and low.

“Not as troubling as an untrained Witch being left to wander around, unchecked and unknown.” Elder Constance chimed in, making me want to growl at her condescending tone.

“I have brought Charleene here to Hampstead,” I informed them, against my better judgement, I could not hide her from them.

“She must be brought before us.” Constance declared, to grumbles from the other Elders.

“She is the Witch's problem, not ours.” Elder Reginia spoke, in a voice devoid of emotion. I’d always liked Reginia, she was the wisest woman I’d met in both my lifetimes. She was more prone to reading books than wanting to deal with the Coven’s incessant need for gossip and thought through everything before making a decision.

“She is a threat to us all and must be dealt with.” Constance argued, raising my hackles. I reminded myself to remain calm; I could not allow the Council to believe I felt anything for a witch, it was forbidden.

“It is troubling how she has managed to grow without the witch’s knowledge,” Elder Cain pondered aloud. Cain kept himself to himself around the Coven, he was one of the eldest of our kind and as such preferred his own company over anyone else's.

“Yes, very,” Bertrand interjected, “you have given us much to consider Huntress Adrina. Please let Antonious know which rooms you are staying in at Hotel Vitae Aeterna.” He dismissed me as the Council grumbled amongst themselves.

Scowling deeper than I had on entering I bowed deeply, before turning on my heel and striding towards the door.

“And Adrina,” Constance’s voice made my feet pause, two steps from the door, “Make sure the Witch is versed in our rules and that she knows no magic is to be used within our borders.” Her sneering voice made my anger boil, however turning I allowed none of my emotions to show as I bowed and answered.

“Of course Elder Constance,” I replied politely and continued to leave.

Antonious was waiting for me on the other side, and with the kindest smile he could muster, he gestured for me to return the way we’d come. Neither of us spoke as we returned to the dim entrance way, or as he went to retrieve my jacket from where it had been stored during my interview with the Council. “We’re staying in suite seventy-two,” I informed him as requested before starting out into the weak sunshine and breathing a sigh of relief that my time in the Coven had been brief.

“Very well, Huntress Adrina,” Antonious’ voice followed me as he shut the door behind me.