Chapter Twenty-Six

CAMERON

 

“Are you sure you’re not just being a drama king?” Syn asked as they walked down the hall, luggage in tow.

Cameron groaned. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

“Yours, always. You know this. But come on. So Nathen is interested in this strange magic realm where there aren’t actual people, only pod people. And you gotta admit, Nathen is a pod person. So, it makes sense he is really only interested in being with people who don’t need to relate to each other, right? Honey, I know when you fall, you fall hard. But was Nathen really the Mr. Right and not Mr. Right Now? Be realistic. It’s been two weeks and—”

“That’s enough, Syn. The bubble is bursting. I don’t need you to rub it in,” Cameron responded miserably.

“Cam, you do know who you’re talking to, right? I’ve been there each time you’ve had your heart torn to shreds. This doesn’t seem like that, but if it is, then we’ll rebuild.”

“Whatever. I’m just super tired. Let’s just go talk to Mom.”

They came down and Cameron saw Syn shoot Nathen a look as she passed them to load into the car with Paige. He kicked himself for having not talked to her about what had happened with the vampire but made a mental note to ask her later. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Nathen as he tossed their bags into the hatch and then slid behind the wheel.

The two cars drove the hour out to the dilapidated mansion where the mages had been left the previous night. August filled the quiet by telling the men about the history of Louisiana and New Orleans and how it had changed significantly in the last hundred years.

Gravel crunched under the weight of the cars as they meandered through the trees down the long drive leading to the old structure. Maria was coming down the stairs as they approached. She pulled up short, taking a few steps back as August exited the car, her eyes darting from August to Cameron, and then to Nathen, who followed behind.

“Hey, Mom.” Cameron swallowed, his chest suddenly heavy at seeing his mother. Alive. Then his head spun with how to introduce August, something he hadn’t thought about. August wasn’t their boyfriend. They weren’t a throuple, for crying out loud. Right?

The heat rose to his face, and he knew his fair features had to be mottled with his embarrassment as the memory of the night before was suddenly at the forefront of his mind and the struggle with how to introduce August was complicated even more.

He was saved when Syn bounced out of the car behind them and bounded over to hug Maria. “Hi, Mom!”

Cameron reminded himself to take a deep breath, his eyes clouding with tears he refused to shed for his living mother. He was about to say hello again, himself, when Syn went on. “So, that’s August, and that’s Paige. As I’m sure you can tell, they’re vampires and here to help. Also, really good in bed!” She snickered and winked at Cameron.

“What the—” Cameron mentally sputtered, opening a channel with Syn.

“Heh. Hey, I’m gonna make out with Paige a little, just giving forewarning.”

Maria’s smooth Latin features set in a look of concentration. “There is…something different. Between the three of you.” She took a hesitant step toward Cameron, her attention shifting between Nathen and August.

Nathen asked, “Can you describe what seems different?”

She moved close to him and brought up her hand to his chest. “Right here.” Her hand glided in a circle. “There’s something here that wasn’t there before. In both Cameron and you, but I also see it in your new friend.” She nodded to August. “What have you done?”

Cameron’s head was suddenly pounding with a child’s terror he may have done something wrong. “I… We…” He looked away, shamed, though he wasn’t quite sure why.

“Hello, ma’am. I’m Augustus Mac Craith, or August McGrath.” He gave a short bow of his waist and reached up as if to tip an invisible hat. Finding no hat, he resorted to a small salute and boyish smile. “It’s good to make your acquaintance. Your noble son has told us a lot about you, and we are very grateful to join your cause.”

Cameron’s eyes grew wide at the formality of August’s mannerisms and the old-world charm he exuded. He found a fluttering of attraction course through him and swallowed again.

“Hello.” Maria eyed August. “I’m Maria.” She turned her attention back to Cameron, as if waiting for his delayed explanation.

“There was a fae. They told us they would give us a boon for helping in the cause. We accepted it, but now apparently it means we belong to them. I guess we’re owned now by them.” He lowered his head in regret and shame.

Maria’s sharp intake of breath illustrated her shock and concern as she gently took Cameron’s arm.

Nathen added, as if in contradiction to what Cameron had said, “We accepted the sword Excalibur from the Lady of Oak and will be leading the charge of the aligned fae on this plane as the bulwarks of the middle of two extremes.”

Maria frowned in confusion. “Mijo, perhaps you all should come inside and tell us about what happened.”

Cameron quickly brushed a tear away, ducking his head so no one would see as he hurried up the stairs. It had been a lifetime since he was comforted by his mother, and he wasn’t sure how to respond anymore. To him, he had sold his soul to demons for some hope of turning the tide in order to save his mother from the obligations she had in the same way as having sold his life to Impetus in order to find her. He couldn’t see it as the same gift Nathen saw because he didn’t belong in Sanctuary even if his future self somehow was tricked into believing he did. Balling his fists in his pockets, he muttered something about the restroom and left the group to congregate as he fell against the closed door, taking deep steadying breaths. He was incredibly grateful he was no longer under the effects of the blood as he was certain he would have said or done something stupid just now. No, these raw emotions were his own, fueled only by his memories of his mother hanging from the spiked appendage of a half-human/half-spider monstrosity—her life fading. Guilt seized him, and he launched himself to the sink to splash his face with water. If he had just stayed. Fought. He would have been able to save her. She hadn’t been dead. She wouldn’t have had to go into hiding for the better part of the last decade.

It didn’t matter. His soul he would happily give in order to save her this time. That’s why he accepted the “boon,” and he would just have to take whatever consequences came with it. He would have to accept the hell that was Sanctuary, a hell his boyfriend found preferable. Cameron dried his face and came out into the living room where the three mages from the night before, Julia, his mother, Paige, Syn, August, and Nathen had arranged themselves around the room. He saw that there was room on the couch next to Nathen and opted to sit in an empty chair instead. They were making introductions, each obviously wary of the newcomers.

Alfonso handed over a glass of sweet tea he had brought in on a tray and left on the table in the middle. Cameron accepted it though almost immediately sat to the side. “I was saying it’s interesting how I had never met a vampire in person before we met Nathen yesterday. And now, today, there are three in this house.” Alfonso’s laughter that followed betrayed his level of nervousness as he settled back in his chair beside his partner.

“I think Nathen would see it as things happening in threes,” Cameron said, aware of Nathen’s superstitions and rituals. “Apparently, it’s a haunting theme all around. I guess it’s best to start at the beginning. Last night the three of us went into the city and got a couple of rooms, as you know. We had planned on taking in some nightlife, but were all pretty tired from traveling so decided to stay in. August saw Nathen and I hanging out on the balcony and stopped by to say hello. We fell asleep and Dara, an oak fae, came to us and explained a few things.”

Cameron inwardly squirmed as he purposefully left out the illicit bits of the story, shooting August and Nathen a glance to see how they were responding. August sat with one leg crossed over the other, the casual depiction of a confident gentleman. Nathen on the other hand stared at nothing, likely fantasizing about returning to Sanctuary, Cameron thought. He inwardly sighed.

“An oak fae? How did she come to you?” Beth asked, leaning forward with interest and interrupting Cameron’s thoughts.

“In a dream,” Cameron responded quickly, shifting his thoughts from Nathen. “She told us a few things: vampires were originally created by fae and also the spider fae and land fae are at war, and they would like to recruit us, for lack of a better term. She then gave us something she said was a boon, but then admitted was both a blessing and a curse.”

Maria’s stilted breath was loud enough to draw attention, and Cameron saw her nodding with a pained look.

“Of course we accepted, Mom,” Cameron said softly. “She suggested it would help.”

“Ma’am, if I may be so bold, I believe it may.” August mirrored Cameron’s gentle approach. “This evening, we were summoned to a place called Sanctuary, where we were officially recognized by the fae. These arachnoids are acting out of character for the fae. Encroaching on territory they have no right to. Our Nathen said it best when he described us as having been knighted.” August let out a warm chuckle. “I’d never fancied myself a knight before, but the three of us were embraced by the fae, and I can only imagine it was your own Coastal Plains fae that initiated it?”

Beth snorted. “Well, that makes no sense. We mages have been here for years battling these arachnoids on behalf of the fae, and you’re going to tell me you three come into town and suddenly the fae choose you? To be their champions?”

“No, ma’am,” August responded with abject respect. “Paige and I have been here for over a century with our coven. The Arachane have attacked us over the years and killed several members of our coven. I was never approached by a fae to assist, and indeed, Paige and I have always been wary of them.”

“Still am,” Paige said with apparent annoyance.

August paused and glanced at her, holding her challenging gaze for a moment before his head fell into a bow, and Cameron saw him bite his lip.

“Something happened with the three of us together. Two vampires and a mage. A mind mage. We were linked, and Dara sensed this.”

Cameron had taken a breath to go on but was interrupted when his mother asked, “Linked how?”

Did someone just turn on a heater? Cameron unconsciously pulled his collar away from his neck, and the tingling of embarrassment began in his toes and worked its way straight up his spine.

Syn saved him. “You probably don’t know, but Cameron has gotten pretty good at opening channels so we can talk to each other.”

August jumped in. “The point is we learned a few things such as the Arachane fae queen is actually located in New York, and they are part of some major law firms and banks. Nathen and Cameron are going to meet with a gentleman from their corporation tomorrow to discuss if there is any more information that could help turn the tide of this war. But Paige has agreed to help so the coven can grow once more.”

“Can you tell us more of your coven?” Alfonso asked, sitting a little closer to Serge, and Cameron noticed for the first time how the three vampires were actually segregated from the rest of the group with August and Paige sitting side by side in chairs positioned next to Nathen who was on the couch and everyone else slightly away.

Paige fixed Alfonso with a look. “What would you like to know?”

“Everything!” Alfonso gushed with sincerity. “I wasn’t kidding. You’re the first vampires we’ve met. I had no idea there was a coven of vampires who lived so close. Is a coven just a name for a group of you? How many of you are there?”

As Paige started telling the group limited information about the coven, Cameron rose under the pretense of going to the kitchen for something. He really just wanted movement. Escape. But, yanking open the fridge, he realized how ravenous he was. Morosely chewing on a tasteless piece of cheese, Cameron was shaken out of his discontent by the sudden commotion of discordant minds in the living room.

Syn screamed, “What the fuck?”

Cameron ran back into the room only to see people in various states of excitement pointing out the window. Syn was the angriest of the bunch, and Maria was animatedly talking to Julia. August headed toward him, and Paige seemed to be unperturbed, looking around with a hint of mild amusement on her face. Nathen, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Syn patted Cameron’s shoulder. “Nathen just… He was sitting one second, and then we felt a gust of wind from the open window as soon as you left the room.”