Tears of the Fallen Ch. 12

His quip earned him another glare and he grinned. "You do know you look scrumptious when you're annoyed and that gives me an overwhelming urge to eat you all up?"

"Caleb!"

Laughing, he swooped down for a lingering kiss. "Okay, I'll behave."

Waking up to find Rhianna gone had left him believing everything had been a dream. For a moment, he had panicked until he'd reached down their mate bond and discovered his woman was nearby, but clearly busy with something that was taking up all of her concentration. It had taken him a while to let the last of his pique wash away, but his tension was finally beginning to ease.

Dayton strolled out of the bedroom area, a towel wrapped around his waist and another briskly rubbing at his hair.

"We have guests, Dayton. Put some clothes on." Freya's neutral tone belied the expression on her face.

"Last I looked this was my home," he retorted as he shot her a grin, his tone unrepentant. "If people want to come calling at silly o'clock in the morning, then they can take me as I am."

The two women shared a look, one that was universal to all women with unruly males in their lives.

Rhianna laughed and rolled her eyes, unperturbed by the barely clad male, though Caleb's arm tightening around her shoulders told her he wasn't happy with the scenario. She leaned into him and sent a shaft of love down their mate bond, sprinkling in a healthy dose of lust to reassure him that he was all the man she would ever need.

"We're sorry for the early hour, but we need to speak to Reasa and Liam. I believe Rafe is sending Liam over; for now, could I have a private moment with Reasa?"

"I will take you to her," Freya replied, sending another disapproving glance at her mate before she preceded Rhianna into the back of the house.

"I'd better get dressed or there will be hell to pay," Dayton laughed in Caleb's direction, his laughter turning louder at the expression on the vampire's face.

"Indeed," Caleb answered, his tone neutral, but his expression indicating the other male would be wise to do just that. He knew he had nothing to worry about from the wolf, but it was hard to dampen down his possessiveness sometimes. Making an effort, he gave Dayton a smile and headed towards the kitchen. "Can I help myself to coffee?"

"Knock yourself out." The wolf grinned as he too vanished, leaving the vampire alone.

Freya knocked on the bedroom door and wasn't surprised to see the former vampire sitting in the armchair before the fire, already dressed. She'd heard her stirring earlier and had kept her enhanced hearing attuned to her movements, but hadn't intruded.

She now clicked her tongue in vexation. "You should have called me to assist you when you showered. Mallen instructed you to keep your arm in the sling at all times." Her tone held reproof as well as chagrin. If she had checked earlier, Reasa wouldn't have had to struggle through the pain of showering and then dressing herself.

"I am not an invalid," Reasa answered, keeping her gaze averted. "The medication supplied has dulled the pain. I am managing just fine on my own."

"Very well; if you wish to make life more difficult for yourself, then so be it. You have a visitor."

The former vampire turned her head, and her eyes flashed with hatred when she saw who her visitor was. "I do not wish to speak to her." Her words were directed at Freya, though her eyes never left the petite redhead once she'd entered the room.

"That's unfortunate but unavoidable," Freya replied, her words calm although her tone brooked no argument. "I will be outside if you require my assistance, Annie."

Rhianna smiled and waited for the door to close before she walked over to the bed and perched on the bottom. "I was sorry to hear about your accident, Reasa. May I call you Reasa, or would you prefer a more formal address?"

"You appear to do as you please, so why bother asking me?" the other woman growled, her eyes never leaving the vampire. "I have nothing to say to you and yet you remain here in my room. There is nothing I can do to forcibly eject you, you made sure of that."

Rhianna sighed, though her expression was compassionate. She had known this meeting would not be easy, but hadn't anticipated just how difficult it would be. Anakatrine had stripped Reasa of her immortality and it was now left up to her to find some way to connect with the human woman.

"I know you're angry at your fate, Reasa. It's perfectly understandable that you feel that way. Everything you were has been taken from you and all you see in front of you is that you are being held captive here, too weak to take control of your destiny. You feel a great injustice has been done to you, and yet you choose to remain here with Freya after she injured you. Why is that?"

The former vampire remained silent, refusing to be drawn by her question and it took everything within Rhianna not to sigh out aloud once more. She had deliberately phrased her words to try to encourage dialogue, but it was clear it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Okay. I believe you stay because you can relate to Freya. She is a strong vampire, something you used to be, and therefore can understand. While you stay, it may give you some comfort; however, it also causes you much pain, for she is a living reminder of everything that you have lost."

"I didn't lose anything!" Reasa cried out, rising from the chair to glare at the redhead. "You took it from me! You ripped out everything I was and left this pale shadow in its place. Why didn't you just kill me? Why didn't you let the other one kill me, as he wanted to? Does it make you happy to see my suffering? Is this the punishment for shooting Liam?"

Reasa's breaths rasped loudly in the room, her chest heaving with the force of emotion behind her words. Rhianna fought down the overwhelming pity that rose up within her, remaining silent to allow the girl to have her moment. Reasa needed this closure; she deserved the right to confront the woman she viewed as her tormentor. She had to vent, to release the venom within her so she could start to move forward.

"Nothing to say, vampire?"

The words were spat out, but Rhianna remained quiet in the face of the other woman's fury. Reasa seemed oblivious to the tears that coursed down her face, despite her harsh words. Her pretty features were etched with agony, and announced to the entire world that she was dying inside. She was human now, and could no longer control what others witnessed. It would take some time for her to learn how to overcome her vampiric pride.

"Why don't you take a seat, Thereasa?" Rhianna finally said, keeping her tone light and soothing. "I know this is hard for you. I realise you hold me accountable for your misfortunes. I also know once you come to terms with this grieving process you are going through, you will understand that your actions required the direst of consequences. What would you have done had someone come into your coven and attempted to harm those you hold dear?"

Reasa sucked in a deep breath and scrubbed a hand across her face. She wanted to continue screaming at the redhead; but suddenly, the urge to crawl back into bed nearly overwhelmed her. She couldn't do that, so she sat back down in the chair and stared into the empty fireplace.

"What would your punishment be in those circumstances, Reasa?" Rhianna left the question hanging in the air, and resisted the urge to keep talking. Sometimes things had to move at the other's pace, and this was one of those times.

"Death," the human woman finally answered, her voice sounding hollow. "I would kill anyone who tried to harm my coven. There would be no mercy."

"That is why you are struggling so hard with this," Rhianna said quietly. "Not because you are no longer a vampire, though, that is contributing to your emotional turmoil. You are struggling with this because mercy has been shown to you, Thereasa. You expected to die for your actions and yet you still live."

"Why?" The word strangled out, anguish and a plea in her voice. Reasa turned haunted eyes on the vampire, confusion warring with her rage. "Why?" She asked again, only this time there was an underlying strength in her tone.

Rhianna moved to kneel at Reasa's feet, deliberately placing herself below the other woman to promote a feeling that she had some control over the situation. "I didn't understand Anakatrine's actions that day; I just knew I had to trust in her. You want to know why? The answer is because we need you, Thereasa. Your people need you. There were plans set in motion over six thousand years ago that are about to reach fruition, and you are instrumental to that process. Will you trust in us, Reasa? Will you help your people?"

"What people?" Reasa whispered, her cheeks wet with fallen tears. "Do you want me to help the humans because that is what I am now? Why do you speak of this Anakatrine as if she is somehow a separate being? It was you in that room with me. It was you chanting those words and ripping out my soul. It was you who did this to me, Anakatrine."

Despite the sharpness of her words, there was a chink in the strong defences that protected the former vampire. Rhianna reached for the opening, physically and psychically. Gripping Reasa's hands, she kept their gazes connected as she slipped a light touch into her mind; it was just enough to keep the barriers open so Reasa would hear the truth in her words.

It didn't cross Rhianna's mind to wonder how she knew to do what was needed. Anakatrine always provided the knowledge to achieve her goals. With a reassuring smile, she gently squeezed Reasa's hands, her expression earnest as she began to speak. "My name is Rhianna, though most people call me Annie. I am what you see before you, a Youngling vampire mated to an Ancient. However, deep within me resides the soul of one so ancient, her powers appear to be boundless. Within me, lives the soul of the last vampire queen, Anakatrine..."

*****

"How long has Annie been in there now?"

Liam's question brought a deep sigh from both Caleb and Freya, though his cousin's lips quirked slightly as she played another card in their game and answered him. "Ten minutes longer than when you asked the last time, Liam. Now, will you please concentrate on this game? There is no challenge whatsoever in matching wits with you today!"

He had the grace to look sheepish as he concentrated on the cards in his hand before throwing them down. "You win again, Elle." Standing up, Liam rolled his shoulders to loosen some of the tension he was feeling and walked towards the back of the house.

"Let Annie do what she needs to. No harm will come to the girl."

Caleb's amused tone rankled and the Vârcolac had to work at keeping his expression neutral. He knew Reasa was fine because he could feel the emotions of everyone in the house. While it was a fascinating experience—being able to feel everything without his mind being overloaded—he still wanted to see his mate, just to be certain that what he was feeling was right.

He had turned his back on the door that closed off the bedrooms from the rest of the house, when it suddenly opened, and Rhianna appeared followed closely by Reasa. Liam's hungry eyes travelled his mate's face, and he noticed evidence of tears that had long dried. His gaze turned to the redhead, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"Everything is fine. Thereasa and I just had a little chat, and she is no worse the wear for it."

The former vampire regarded him with a neutral expression and then she nodded her agreement, though her eyes told him that she didn't see why she needed to appease him. It was enough to settle his anxiety though, and he was able to walk back to his seat at the dining table where Elina was gathering up cards.

"You haven't been formally introduced to my daughter yet, Reasa. This is Elina." Freya motioned in Elina's direction. "I don't believe you've had a formal introduction to Caleb either," she added, before raising an inquiring eyebrow at Rhianna.

"I've explained everything to Thereasa and she has agreed to hear us out regarding what is to come next."

Caleb made a choking sound and she shot him a pleading look. "Please, love. It's taken me a lot of talking to encourage her to have some willingness to see past her own agenda. I know this doesn't sit well with you, but please can you just go along with me for now?" Rhianna used their telepathic link to speak privately with her mate. Reasa's curiosity was motivating her at the moment and she knew one scathing sentence from Caleb could undo all the progress she'd made.

"Fine, whatever you need, Annie. I will do my best to help as much as I can. I've learned my lesson from the last time."

His reward was a beatific smile, the kind of smile that always melted the bones in his body and made him want to promise his Annie the moon. He lived to see that smile on her beautiful face, and it helped to ease down some of his antipathy for the former vampire.

He finally took notice of the other woman and saw the signs of strain she strove so hard to hide. As he surveyed her without the constraints of his more volatile emotions, he detected a core of strength beneath the fear she couldn't quite hide. He didn't know if he would have been as together as she was if he'd suffered the same kind of loss. Perhaps there was more to the woman than he had given credence to.

"Caleb, the book..."

Rhianna was holding out her arms to him, and he picked up the book on dream walking and joined everyone at the table.

"Reasa, you've had extensive experience with your empathic abilities. This book contains the ancient lore I told you about," Rhianna began, setting the open book down on one end of the table. She motioned for Liam and Reasa to join her as she sat down.

Caleb took the seat directly across from his mate, while Freya and Elina down beside him. Dayton had been called away earlier by Rafe, but he'd sent Elina home to ensure there was someone who may be able to temper his mate's exuberance, should anything untoward happen. Not that he had been expecting it, but he had felt better being away knowing their daughter was on hand.

"I have to first perform a spell on the book so you can read it," Rhianna announced, more for Reasa's benefit than anyone else's. She didn't want the girl to become concerned at the use of magic after the last time. Reasa tensed beside her, but remained silent.

Incanting quietly, there appeared a faint breeze on the air; the foreign words in the book shimmered for a brief moment and then cleared just as quickly. The script remained ornate, but the language was now clearly legible. All in the room were silent, until Rhianna began to speak once more...

"Herein these chronicles lies a knowledge so powerful it is for Royal eyes only, or one who carries the mark of the order of The Dream Walkers. Any being found in possession of this book, without Royal consent, will be summarily executed with no recourse to trial by his or her peers."

"Suitably chilling," Freya remarked drolly, amusement on her face. "I presume all here present have Royal consent?"

"I wouldn't have translated the book otherwise," Rhianna remarked dryly, though her tone was equally as amused. The tension level in the room was high, and it reduced a bit with the light banter between them.

"I'm not going to read the whole thing out aloud. The main points will suffice as a general overview." Rhianna reached for her coffee and took a sip before continuing, ensuring she had everyone's attention.

"Liam's ability, the one he shares with Reasa and possibly others to a lesser degree, was once a dedicated power used under Royal decree. Apparently, when Anakatrine ruled, vampires used their minds to consolidate their powerbases, as opposed to sheer brawn. I don't need to point out to anyone that we've clearly stopped using any inherent mental abilities we once had. I did want to read out another passage from the book, as it's pertinent to the reason why we're here."

Rhianna didn't wait for any questions. She found the passage she was looking for and began to read...

"Dream Walker elect, you read these words now as you have mastered the art of shielding your mind from all extraneous emotions. You can pick out individual minds and focus solely on any individual you so choose. You are now attuned enough to be able to use your gift to either heal or destroy as commanded. This gift should never been taken lightly, Dream Walker elect. Great thought must always be undertaken before the decision to Dream Walk is taken, for you may do more harm than any good you intend. You have the power to irrevocably destroy a mind unintentionally and this book is designed to show you how best to avoid this."

Raising her head, her eyes met her mate's and she gave him a small smile. "I believe you used this ability without realising it when Demetri asked you to alter his memories all those years ago, Caleb."

Her smile widened as his mouth dropped open and he stared at her in shock. "That never crossed my mind, Annie, not even when we found the book. Now that you come to mention it, you may have a point. Do you think that means Callain was one of these Dream Walkers?"

"Most probably. You can ask him the next time you talk to him." Rhianna's gaze turned to the two empaths, her expression serious. "You should always heed this warning. Reasa, I know you have more experience and we need that experience to temper Liam's substantial strength. You have already helped him immeasurably by showing him stronger shields, but for what we now need, Liam has to be able to safely focus his full."

The Vârcolac frowned at her before he raked a hand through his auburn hair. Uncertainty crossed his face, followed by a flicker of fear. "I don't understand, Annie. You want me to use my powers? You've seen what happens when I lose control. I know about what happened up at the Praetorian Compound. I know the damage I've caused. You can't seriously want to unleash my power?"

Rhianna's heart twisted at the pain in his voice and she automatically reached out a comforting hand to soothe him. "We didn't know what we were dealing with then, Liam. If I had known, then maybe things would have played out differently. They didn't and we are left with trying to find a way to repair the damage. You can feel how much better control you have already. With Reasa's tuition and studying this book, I believe we have that chance now. You just need to have some faith in yourself."

She turned her attention back to the former vampire, who was watching them both with an intent expression. "We all bear a responsibility for what happened up at the Praetorian Compound. I know you grieve for the minds that were damaged that day, adopting their pain in addition to your own. I can't return your immortality to you, Reasa. I don't know if I would, even if I could. What I can give you is something to work towards, though. Teach Liam the control he needs, and together learn to dream walk. Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to heal the minds lost to us, the minds of your former people."

Reasa stared at her mutely for a long moment before turning to look at the male who was watching her with a pensive expression. She could see fear lurking in his deep brown eyes, as well as a longing so intense, she could almost feel his hands stroking her skin.

What Rhianna had told her at the time seemed so outlandish, but everything before her eyes was adding weight to it being true. Was it really a reincarnated vampire queen who had stripped her of her immortality? Was there some way she could earn it back if she did what they wanted? Could she teach Liam what he needed to know and if she did, what danger would it put her in?