Awaken: Book One: London Read online

  Awaken

  Book One: London

  Z. Limelan

  Chapter 1

  ‘Don’t laugh. This isn’t funny.’

  I muted the TV and peered over the edge of the sofa. It had become my makeshift sick bed while I nursed a cold. My flatmate Fi was back early from work. It didn’t take me long to notice that she was covered in bird shit. She slammed the door behind her, threw her keys into the bowl on the side, and fixed me with a dark look. I tried not to laugh.

  ‘What happened?’

  She dumped her bag on the floor and wiped her forehead on the back of her hand. ‘Lunch with Jeremy ran late so I had to cut across the park, where they all swarmed at me!’

  Something about the look she gave me had me laughing before I could stop myself. She scowled and disappeared into the bathroom to click the shower on.

  ‘What about your presentation?’ I called after her. She’d spent the last week practising her pitch in the mirror to the latest major potential client. As one of the best strategy consultants in London, Fi often worked late and brought work home. I was never quite sure what a strategy consultant did, but I knew she got paid every month the same amount I made in a year. But that wasn’t exactly hard to do. I did biochemical research at a university. Low level biochemical research. Splashing out was putting two toppings on my potato instead of one.

  ‘Sean sent me home early to clean up. He let Alex make the pitch.’

  ‘No!’ I let out a disbelieving breath and sat up straight under my quilt. Alex was the new guy in the office and her only real competitor. From what she’d told me, he spent most of his time sucking up to their boss rather than finding new clients. I’d never met him but already knew that I hated him.

  ‘I know!’ Fi appeared half undressed in the doorframe. She was petite and very attractive, which came in handy in her line of work. Presentation was important. People were apparently more likely to let you run their business if your suit was well-tailored and your nails clean. She pulled her long blonde hair from its tight bun and ran her fingers through it a few times. ‘Which is why it’s doubly important that we’re at the party tonight.’

  I frowned at her choice of words. ‘We?’

  ‘Yeah. You’re coming, of course.’

  ‘Er, no.’ I said, staring pointedly at the scrunched-up tissues on the coffee table. I had pulled the quilt up to my neck and lifted my mug of chicken soup from the side. It warmed my hands. I’d taken the day off work because I felt miserable. All that was left now was a slight headache and runny nose, but I had plans to watch a sci-fi marathon and get an early night. ‘I’m ill.’ I gave a sniff for good measure.

  Fi surveyed me, hands on hips. ‘You have a cold, Ceri, and you owe me.’

  I grumbled in protest but it was true. I did owe her. A few months before, I had accidentally destroyed some expensive plants she had been babysitting for her brother. It had been news to me too that they needed constant care while he was away giving a talk somewhere. Most of them had their own lamps and misting machines so in theory it should’ve been easy to not kill them. Since the flat had been turned into a hothouse, I’d retreated to my room with an ice cream and an electric fan, which I had left running all night. Long story short: the fan tripped the fuse, we slept through it, the plants wilted to an unforgivable degree. When I attempted to make up for the lost hours of care by turning up the heat, three of them died.

  Fi lifted her head with an irritatingly defiant smile when she realised I was beaten. ‘I’m sure I’ve got something you can wear.’ I would’ve taken it as an insult but my wardrobe was made up of things that were better described as practical. They tended not to be suitable for corporate parties. After all, academics don’t often go to a lot of non-pub-based events.

  She wasn’t in the shower long. I waited until she was done before forcing myself out from underneath my blanket. ‘So, what’s tonight about?’

  ‘Wolfe International are celebrating their centenary.’

  I recognised the name. ‘The security people?’ They had been on the news earlier for something. I struggled to remember the details.

  ‘Defence technology,’ she corrected. ‘They design security measures for celebrities—’

  ‘And the army,’ I cut in. I’m generally against violence. Maybe I watch too much news. As far as I’m concerned, for “better defence technology” read “more potent killing machines”. I now doubly didn’t want to go. The party was going to be packed with military types. Like I said, I don’t do well with authority. ‘They’ve just released some ultra-lightweight helicopter, I think. There was something special about the blades.’

  She clicked the kettle on in the kitchen. ‘Yes, that’s the one. Billingford want them as a client.’ That was the company she worked for. ‘Rumour is that they’re thinking about spreading into Asia.’

  I finished tidying up my sickbed and folded my quilt over one arm. ‘So, why do you need me? They want to expand, you’re the expert on overseas expansion!’

  She pulled out two mugs from the cupboard to make tea. ‘I need you to keep an eye on Alex while I corner someone from Wolfe. I’ll only need about twenty minutes with them.’

  ‘Twenty minutes?’ For some reason, I’d expected to be there for hours.

  ‘I’m that good,’ she said with the confidence of someone who generally got what she wanted.

  I laughed. ‘Okay, then. How do I keep Alex in one place?’

  She turned to rinse the pot and winked over her shoulder at me. ‘Use your feminine wiles!’

  I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have feminine wiles. Fortunately, the dress Fi finally picked out for me meant I didn’t have to have any. For someone her size, the red silk of the dress would have fallen just below her knee and the fabric at the front draped demurely across her chest. I’m bigger than her in every dimension, so the cut became instantly more flirtatious. By the time I had showered and got dressed, I almost looked like the sort of person who would attend a corporate party. I certainly didn’t think I’d have any difficulty distracting Alex for twenty minutes.

  The party turned out to be a black-tie event on a floating venue on the Thames. I couldn’t quite figure out why anyone would suggest an outdoor venue in England, but the heaters seemed to be doing their job. It was already dark outside, so the lights that hung from the canopy made everything a little more magical.

  ‘You took your time getting in,’ Fi said, appearing out of nowhere as soon as my feet hit the deck.

  ‘The security man took my soup.’

  ‘I told you to leave the thermos in the car!’ I ignored her and found myself distracted by the purple and orange plumage on someone’s dress. ‘Listen, can you see that man over there?’ I followed her gaze to the bar. ‘The ginger with the glasses.’

  I nodded. He was somewhere in his early forties, maybe? He looked well turned out and pleasant enough.

  ‘That’s Alex.’ My eyes automatically narrowed. It was my job to keep him away from Fi, or more specifically the client. Something about the way he was flirting with the lady beside him made me think it would be easy. If he was distracted already by the prospect of sex, he would have no hope in staying focused enough to sour Fi’s attempt to generate contacts. I’d already formulated a plan. I’d watch him and enjoy the free food. If he started to go anywhere I didn’t want him to go, I’d step in and flirt mercilessly. Not that I was any good at flirting, but the dress was low on me. ‘And that,’ she said, swinging me around towards the far side of the deck, ‘is Zosimos Wolfe. The Zosimos Wolfe.’

  My brow lifted. It’s difficult to control a reaction like that when confronted with an incredibly attractive man dressed well. He had thick dark hair and a tall, strong stance in the
small group he was stood with. He was also the multi-trillionaire owner of Wolfe International. I’d heard about him before but I’d never seen a photo. ‘He’s younger than I thought he’d be.’

  As if he’d heard us, he turned his head to glance at the bar and afforded me a profile view. His skin had a naturally dark tint to it. He certainly was very attractive. He reminded me of one of those Greek statues with the high cheekbones and well-defined jaw. Except he had his clothes on, which was a shame in my opinion.

  ‘And sexier too, I’d wager.’ I gave her a nod in agreement and then tore my eyes away to find a tissue in my bag. I needed to blow my nose. Nothing makes you feel less attractive than having a runny nose in front of a room full of the powerful elite. ‘The blonde guy on his left is James Trevelyan. I think he’s who I want to talk to tonight. He’s pretty much in charge of business operations.’

  ‘Right.’ I gave a determined nod. ‘Keep Alex away from Trevelyan.’ Simple.

  ‘Perfect. I’ll go and get us drinks before the fun begins!’

  I smiled and watched her slip forwards to the bar. Despite the trays of cocktails and champagne that were circulating, it was crowded. Not that something like that would ever get in Fi’s way. She slipped easily up to the front.

  I was still watching her when a tight fist suddenly gripped one arm and swung me round. A hand on my other arm pinned me in place. Zosimos Wolfe – the Zosimos Wolfe – was glaring down at me with wild eyes. His grip was almost painful. He was frantically looking me over as if I had stolen something. And then, suddenly, he buried his head in my neck and gathered me up against him. He made a choking sound against my throat.

  I don’t usually have such slow reactions, but what had happened was so strange that at first I wasn’t convinced it was real. It was only when I realised that his vicelike hug had almost lifted me so that I was dangling off the floor – no mean feat given how tall I am – that I placed my fingers on his jacket and tried to pull him off. I’m not a timid person but he was a lot bigger than me and…it was his party. Also, it wasn’t exactly unpleasant; I was chilly and he was warm.

  ‘Um, excuse me?’ I said as I tried to lean back. He wasn’t having any of it and pulled me even tighter. I frowned. He was breathing heavily. It was almost as if he was panting. Or crying. ‘Er, Mr Wolfe?’

  A few people seemed to have noticed but Fi – the only person I knew at the party – was still busy at the bar. I wasn’t one to make a scene so I patted him gently on the back and tried to take another step away. He grunted and held me tighter.

  I noticed the blonde man that Fi had pointed out – Trevelyan – on my left. In fact, the whole of the group who had been stood with him before were now around us, forming a circle. There were a few more too, but they looked like the sort of group who knew Wolfe personally. They all wore either concerned or blank expressions, providing a screen from any outside eyes.

  ‘Hi,’ I said to Trevelyan. He glanced at Wolfe and then back to me. ‘Is he alright? Do you think you could give me a hand with this?’

  His expression didn’t change. Instead, he looked at the bearded man who had appeared on my right. He had dark hair like Wolfe’s and a similar complexion. He reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  Wolfe jerked his head around at the contact. His eyes were bright and flecked with amber and gold. He blinked a little and relaxed his hold, although his arms were still tight around me. ‘Ariane,’ he said in a half-whisper, half-choked voice. ‘It is Ariane.’ I didn’t recognise the name.

  He turned then to face me. His eyes were mapping my face as if he hadn’t seen it a long time. He straightened and let me take a step but couldn’t quite bring himself to completely let go of me. He kept his hand on my arm.

  ‘Hi,’ I said carefully when his eyes came to settle on my own. They seemed a darker colour than when I had first seen him. No more amber, just dark brown.

  ‘I thought you were dead,’ he said in a whisper. ‘For years—’ he stopped himself. ‘How are you alive?’

  I frowned a little and sent a nervous glance to Trevelyan. Was he going to help me out? Clearly, his boss wasn’t all there. I was beginning to find it weird that none of the rest of them were saying anything. They had instead formed a kind of shield. If Wolfe was crazy, surely someone should have stepped in by now?

  I looked beyond them to the rest of the party but nobody was paying us any attention. Damn it! Where was Fi with our drinks? I needed back-up!

  ‘I think you think I’m someone else.’

  He frowned at me, clearly not liking what I said. He had recognised that I had spoken and what I was intimating as clear as any normal person would. ‘No. I know you, Ariane.’

  I smiled tightly and tried to remove myself from his grip again. It didn’t work. ‘My name’s not Ariane,’ I said tightly before turning towards Trevelyan. ‘Can you help me out here?’

  All eyes were locked on me. Trevelyan winced slightly at my question. Was something wrong with Wolfe? Were these people his carers rather than his entourage?

  ‘What is your name?’ It was Trevelyan who had asked the question.

  ‘Ceri Hatherton,’ I said quickly, though to Wolfe rather than Trevelyan. The bearded man removed his hand from Wolfe’s shoulder. ‘Sorry,’ I added needlessly.

  ‘It’s not her,’ Trevelyan said in a low voice.

  ‘It is her.’ Wolfe was certain. ‘I know her scent.’

  ‘I’m not wearing any perfume,’ I said over my shoulder at Trevelyan. Unless he could smell the chicken soup? Though that was hardly a designer fragrance.

  ‘She is human.’ It seemed an odd distinction to make but I played along.

  ‘It is her,’ Wolfe grunted, turning back to the bearded man. ‘Her scent is faint but it is her.’ I managed to twist one arm free. That had to be an improvement, right? He turned back to me. He looked calm and reasonably composed but, well, desperate. He looked as if he was hiding agony. Badly. ‘You know me, Ariane. It has been over four hundred years but you know me.’

  I froze.

  A sudden dread washed over me.

  Four hundred years?

  Perhaps the trillionaire wasn’t quite so crazy.

  Before I continue, I should probably explain a little. Just shy of four hundred years ago, I was travelling north from the coast with my mother. I didn’t know why we were on the move but I was only ten or eleven, so that’s no surprise really. We were following the river. We’d been travelling only a few days by that point. I remember watching my mum light a fire for the night, and then I fell asleep.

  That’s pretty much all I can remember of when I was human, for want of a better word. Although, I remember it really well. I could tell you the colour of the clothes I was wearing and the food I’d just eaten like it was yesterday. I could tell you all about my mother, how she tapped the ground twice before striking up a fire and was humming a tune as I closed my eyes. But that’s it.

  My next memory springs up about fifty years later. I woke up naked by a river in Wales. The whole left side of my body was badly blistered and burnt. My face was swollen and bloody, and there were scratches and marks all over my body.

  Someone had left a pile of peasant clothes and a far more money than was sensible stashed in a leather purse. Despite my injuries, I was surprisingly able to pick myself up and get dressed. I soon realised that I was no longer eleven years old. I looked about thirty. And have done ever since.

  I don’t age. I don’t die. I can get injured, though. Pretty badly at times, too. Once, in the sixties, I had a pretty nasty crash with a police car. I hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt so I flew through the windshield. It wasn’t just surface wounds and bones broken, my left leg had completed dislocated and torn. There were only a handful of tendons keeping it strapped to the rest of my body. But I healed. Eventually, I always heal.

  Yeah, it confused me too.

  And, up until that conversation, I had thought I was alone.

  Trevelyan suddenly too
k a step towards me. ‘Her eyes,’ he whispered. ‘What is that?’

  I blinked by reflex and looked away. The others were now taking more of an interest. I tried to free my trapped arm again. Wolfe was eerily strong. Putting my full weight behind my arm made no difference to him. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘You do not remember us?’ Wolfe asked.

  I put my hand on top of his and started prising his fingers off. ‘No.’ I could see he was hurt by my response. But that wasn’t my fault. ‘Will you let go of me!’ I grunted, puffing my chest out and glaring at him. He seemed a little taken aback at my response but finally let go. I took two steps back – anymore and I would have bumped into the women behind me. I rubbed my arm. There were pink marks where his fingers had been. I scowled at them. And then at him. He seemed surprised to see them as if he hadn’t realised he was holding me at all.

  I probably should have been more excited to finally find people who seemed to know something about me. I guess four hundred years of being alone makes you a little paranoid. All I wanted to do was get out of there as fast as possible.

  ‘I need to go. My friend’s waiting for me.’ Where the hell was Fi?

  ‘Go?’ Wolfe eyes were brilliant in their intensity. I found it difficult to look at them for long. ‘I thought you were dead.’

  I swallowed. My throat felt dry. ‘How do you know me?’

  ‘We are pack.’ I didn’t recognise the term.

  ‘What is pack?’ Like a pack of cards? What?

  ‘Family.’

  My heart both leapt and sank at the same time at the impossibility of it. Family? I had longed to be around people like me for years. People who wouldn’t grow old and die. That was part of the reason I rarely had friends. It’s hard to watch people you care about die. But it didn’t matter. They couldn’t be my family. ‘I was an only child.’

  ‘It is not like that.’

  I opened my mouth ready to ask more questions and then closed it again. A long time ago, I had planned what I would say if I ever met anyone like me. I had a stream of questions and stories. But suddenly, there was only one thing that I wanted to know. ‘What am I?’