Twisted Truths: Helena Hawthorn Series, #7

By May Freighter

To save her love, she must kill it first.

 

After being thrown out of the time spell, Helena finds herself in the future. Things are definitely not how she remembered. The Vampire Council is missing, the hunters are wanted by the humans, werewolves are patrolling the streets of London, and newly created vampires are running amok. She has more questions than ever, and no one seems to be willing to provide her with the answers. That is until she is told that Lucious may be responsible for everything bad that's happened.

 

Lucious is losing hope and his mind the longer he works for The Order. Their leader is a tyrant and claims it's for the benefit of their kind, but Lucious knows better than to trust those sugar-coated words. When he shuts his eyes to rest, his mind is riddled with realistic visions of killing Helena. Every waking moment, he spends fearing that, one day, those nightmares may come true. And, deep down, he knows they will.

 

Love, tragedy, pain, and loss are around every corner. Can Helena and Lucious make the ultimate sacrifice to undo the dreadful future?

• Language: English
• Publisher: May Freighter
• Release date: Dec 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393424871

May Freighter

May Freighter is an internationally bestselling author from Dublin, Ireland. She writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Sci-Fi mysteries that will keep you entertained, mystified, and hopefully craving more. Her only pets are cacti. They're the only things that survived. It may be too dangerous to entrust her with an animal while she's engrossed in writing. ​ On sunny, rainy, and overcast days, she spends her time with her fictional friends, putting them through dangerous adventures while wishing them the best of luck. Her hobbies are photography, drawing, and plotting different ways of characters' demise.  ***** HELENA HAWTHORN SERIES:  - Alexander: Memoirs (Prequel) - Russian Roulette - Demon Gates - Crumbling Control - Desired (Spin-off Novella) - Alexander: Monochrome Interview - Fated Origins  - Cherished (Spin-off Novella) - Dark Affiliations (Release date: 2018) ***** ANNALISE STORM CHRONICLES: - Case: 0  - Case: 1 - Case: 2 - (Release date: 2018)

Book preview

May Freighter

Twisted Truths

Helena Hawthorn Series #7

Copyright © 2019 by May Freighter

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

May Freighter asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

May Freighter has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

First edition

Editing by Alyssa Breck

Editing by Jean Wallace

Illustration by Cristal Designs

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Publisher Logo

To my parents, Elena & Vladimir.

Thank you for being always there and supporting me in everything I do. I can’t describe how much I cherish and love you guys.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgement

Helena Hawthorn Series

Endless Questions

The Dreaded Choice

Final Words

Soul-Merge

Empty

The Dark Future

Godhood

Reunions and Goodbyes

Für Elise

Captured

The Hybrid

Past Truths

Breaking Point

Rising Uncertainties

A Glimmer of Hope

Doubts

Unforgivable

All That Was Lost

Giving In

Desperate Measures

Every Which Way

Trickery

Carpathian Mountains

Love and Despair

The Departure

About the Author

Also by May Freighter

Foreword

NOTE: This book is written in U.K. English.

Some spelling may be different from the U.S.

www.authormayfreighter.com

Acknowledgement

Enormous thanks to my editors, Alyssa Breck and Jean W. Getting my work checked by you is always a pleasure, and I cannot thank you enough for the hours you put in.

Also, thanks to Dominica for being a wonderful proof-reader and beta reader for the book. It means a lot that you’re still willing to support me after so many stories.

Still love you, Nancy for the wonderful covers!

Helena Hawthorn Series

Chronological order of books in the series:

Alexander: Memoirs (Prequel/A Vampire In Love Series #1)

Russian Roulette

Demon Gates

Crumbling Control

Desired (Spin-Off Novella)

Monochrome Interview (A Vampire In Love Series #2)

Fated Origins

Cherished (Spin-Off Novella)

Dark Affiliations

Blood Witch

Twisted Truths

TBA

* * *

Definitions for Readers:

Childe: A human that had been turned into a vampire. Depending on the age and power of the sire, the childe may adapt quicker, as the energy they would have been given in the initial turning would have been greater. On average, it takes between 1.5 years to 2 years for a newborn vampire to get used to the thirst (this depends on the willpower the childe possesses.)

Few cases in vampire history speak of vampires who managed to conquer the thirst early, and many of these vampires had developed abilities later on in life – one of them being Vincent of the European Council with his power of the ‘Voice’. (It should be noted that on record, Vincent is the only vampire who had inherited Arthemis’ ability instead of the more common abilities that stem from the Royals.)

Newborn vampires are trained in a controlled environment where there are no humans to tempt them. The only humans that are brought in are those the sire trains the childe with to master their thirst.

A childe is unable to hurt his sire. The energy residing within the childe is able to recognise the original source and, therefore, making the sire protected from his childe’s attack. Theoretically, there are vampires that could overcome this by becoming stronger than their sire. This can be seen when Lucious kills Anna in Crumbling Control.

Sire: A title given to a vampire after he had turned a human by sharing his energy with the person and then taking their life. The childe refers by that title or by the name of their sire to them.

Most of the sire-childe relationships are good where the childe respects the one who had granted them their second life. Yet, there are cases where the childe had been created against their will, and the relationship becomes volatile.

A sire is able to control his children by using his energy, which he instilled into them before turning them. This tends to ruin the trust between the sire and his childe, so it is considered to be the last resort.

Royals: The first seven vampires were recorded as Kallias (Pillar of the Past), Bion (Pillar of Energy Shaping), Cenric (Pillar of the Mind), Ealdraed (Pillar of Elemental Fire), Hartwin (Pillar of Mystic Sight), Laclia (Pillar of the Future), and Runa (Pillar of Speed) and were sired by the original/first vampire, Arthemis. His origins remain unknown to the vampire community since he had disappeared off the face of the earth sometime in the early 1200 B.C. Most vampires think of him more as a mythical story than an actual being while others are relentlessly trying to find his whereabouts.

Descent: a term used when a vampire is losing control over the thirst and is struggling to maintain his sanity. Vampires that cannot regain control of their thirst for a prolonged period of time tend to be eliminated by the Council’s hounds.

Symptoms: need to feed more often, loss of control, red eyes.

Fleeting: a term used for vampire speed. Usually, a vampire can cover up to 20-30 miles before becoming exhausted. As they reach their limit, there is a danger of tearing their leg muscles, which can be both excruciating and slow to heal without ingestion of blood.

Vampire Clan: Vampires normally prefer to be on their own and care solely about their sire, blood-brothers, and blood-sisters. Yet, there are certain vampires who managed to maintain order and control over their sired children, grandchildren, and beyond. Such a tightly-knit vampire community is called a clan. Their sole purpose is obeying the orders that come from their leader. Those who defy the leader are punished by death or centuries of torment until they conform.

Delegates: As the Councils are limited in manpower, powerful and ancient vampires were given the tasks to observe and report everything that happens in their designated territories. They function independently, and Councils tend to turn a blind eye to their illegal actions because of their services.

Alpha: the leader of the werewolf group. He or she takes on the responsibility of the pack to keep them safe. Every member must accept blood (blood oath) from the alpha to become part of the connected group. Any member who does not accept the alpha’s blood will be forced to leave the group unless the alpha says otherwise.

The alpha is chosen through a test of strength or diplomacy, depending on the pack. Any challenger of the alpha must defeat them by either convincing the pack to select him as the new leader or by a fight to the death. Diplomacy is used more often in modern times.

Beta/Ius is a member of the pack selected by the alpha to be his strategy advisor. This wolf is respected by others, and his opinion is highly valued by the group. He also upholds the law and the rules dictated by the alpha.

Gamma/Laeva is the left hand of the alpha, appointed by the pack’s majority vote. He is in charge of bringing the packs ideas and thoughts to the alpha and keeping the peace between them.

Half-shift: a state a werewolf enters when he is in the middle of a transformation. At this time, they are most vulnerable to their surroundings and the hunters.

Endless Questions

HELENA

Spat out of the portal like an unwanted waste, Helena ended up on all fours in the same bedroom she was in minutes ago. To her surprise, there was no furniture around her, and moonlight streamed in through the dirty windowpanes. She brushed the dirt off her dress as she rose to her full height.

Down the hall, she picked up on the sounds of intense fighting. Taking a quick look around, she found a loose plank she could carry. Not that it would provide much defence if she came in contact with a vampire or the witch who attacked her earlier.

Her last memory came to mind. She closed her eyes and focused on the soul-string. Surprisingly, nothing happened. There was no vibration, no sense that Lucious was anywhere near her.

Wasn’t he here a minute ago? As a matter of fact, where are the witch and the others?

The magical circle on the floorboards behind her was faded as if a long time had passed since it was activated. Not only that, she sensed the time ripple in the air. It had a bone-chilling feel to it, so she hurried out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

Creeping along the long unlit path, she listened for incoming trouble while clutching the plank. Her hands were steady, unlike her frantic heart. The dress became a hindrance when it came to making long strides. Pausing, she set the plank aside and mumbled an apology to Perri as she tore the bottom half of the dress off. Her bare legs were on show, but she didn’t care. The cold air in the castle indicated that no one had heated the place for some time. She could even see her breath forming plumes of steam in front of her.

Someone flew from the other end of the hallway towards her. She sidestepped the incoming missile of a person, pressing her back against the wall.

The person landed in a heap next to her with a silver dagger poking out of his chest. As the person’s face began to rapidly age, she realised that it was a vampire she had never met before.

Helena swallowed nervously and bent over the remains. She searched the vampire’s pockets for an ID, finding a European driving licence with a German name on it. Frowning, she continued her search. The deceased had on him some euros and a phone—the screen of which was beyond recovery from the blows the man had received earlier.

The fighting ceased. The echoing sound of approaching heavy boots made her heart jolt and her body rigid with the fear of what was to come. She was completely defenceless after using most of her soul’s energy to rewrite the spell that transported her instead of erasing her.

A looming, dark figure got closer.

Helena staggered away from the body. She pointed the plank at the incoming man whose entire frame was shrouded in darkness. Don’t come any closer, or I’ll curse you! She knew it was a bluff. She never did learn any curses from Nobu as that was one of the things on the agenda once she mastered the magical circles.

A familiar chuckle had her shoulder’s relaxing when Malachi arrived in front of her. His smile was infectious, and he drew her into a bear hug. It is good to see you’re intact, Helena.

She accepted the warmth that radiated from his large body and dropped her useless weapon. Reluctantly, she pulled away and rubbed her arms that were beginning to accumulate goose flesh from the chill. What’s going on? Why is there fighting in the Council?

Malachi shrugged out of his black leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders. He proceeded to pick up the vampire’s body. Come with me. Nobu and I will fill you in when we get to a safe place.

Helena didn’t budge, although she thanked him for the jacket. Where’s Lucious?

Later. We need to go.

His usual playfulness was nowhere to be found. Helena assumed that whatever was going on, things were dire. She nodded and allowed him to lead the way out of the castle through the back door that led to the south garden. She kept scanning her surroundings, waiting for something or someone to jump out at them. The eerie quiet and the rustling of the bare tree branches were all that remained. The shrubs were unkempt while the frostbitten yellow grass hadn’t been cut in what seemed like forever as it brushed her knees. Even the stone paths that used to lead around the garden were swallowed up by the weeds.

Nobu waited for them next to a pile of dead vampires. He kicked one of them for good measure and crossed his arms over his chest. From where she stood, Nobu’s demeanour hadn’t changed. And, like with Malachi, all light-heartedness and humour were erased from his face. I’m done with these things. Let’s burn them and get out of here.

Who are they? Helena asked, taking a step towards her mentor.

Nobu considered his response for a long minute and ignored her question. Malachi, you deal with body disposal. I’ll take her to the safe house.

Helena’s face turned bright red. They were completely disregarding her need for an explanation. Even a hint would be better than nothing. Why won’t you guys tell me anything?

Malachi dropped the vampire he was carrying unceremoniously on the grass and pushed Helena behind him. A number of enemies are approaching fast.

Nobu’s cursed and, for the first time, Helena saw his true magical potential in use. He syphoned the blood out of the dead vampires with a mumbled spell. The levitating blood formed into spikes that danced around his frame and obeyed his every command.

Malachi’s hands transformed into demonic claws, and Helena was sure his face didn’t look pretty anymore. Growling, Malachi said, I counted ten. They’re fast and with a heartbeat. Shifters, I think.

Great, more trouble, Nobu grumbled.

Helena’s head was beginning to hurt. Why are vampires and shifters attacking us? Where is Lucious? Why isn’t anyone telling me anything?

At the other end of the garden, a group of ten appeared among which four were fully shifted werewolves. The men and women sported sharp claws where their fingers should have been. Their eyes glowed golden and silver, and a dangerous aura emanated from them. One of them, above all else, stood out like a beacon of energy. Helena guessed he was the one in charge.

Malachi whispered over his shoulder, If they attack, I want you to run inside and find a place to hide.

The dark-haired man with a muscular physique and golden eyes stepped out of the line. His tone was commanding and intimidating. What are a warlock and a demon doing on vampire territory?

Malachi squared his shoulders. If he and the alpha were to go head-to-head, Helena wasn’t sure which one would emerge victorious. They were equal in size, and she didn’t know enough about werewolves to know their true strength.

This is no longer vampire territory, Nobu corrected the alpha. The Council moved on, remember?

Helena’s brows knit together. What? Where did the Council go?

Then why does that woman stink of Ellwood? the alpha snarled.

She’s none of your concern, Malachi retorted.

From behind the alpha, a man stepped forward. Helena had to squint to make out Byron and almost leapt for joy. What stopped her was the cold reception she got from him when he obviously recognised her. The last time she saw him was before Laura stabbed her. At that time, he had spiky brown hair and was happily living with his family. Today, he looked half a decade older with deep wrinkles etched into his forehead. His hair had been shaved close to his skull, and there was no warmth in his silver eyes.

Byron? It’s me, Helena, she said, stepping around Malachi. What’s going on?

Byron narrowed his eyes on her, sending a chilling sensation through her. Helena, if you’re here, then Lucious must be here as well. Call that son-of-a-bitch out!

What? I thought you two were friends… she mumbled, her confusion deepening.

Helena, this isn’t a good time, Malachi warned her.

She didn’t back down when Byron produced a harsh growl at her. Seriously, why is everyone fighting all of a sudden? Didn’t Lucious and Hans bring the werewolf packs together for a truce a week ago?

The alpha raised his hand to stop Byron from replying. That happened a year ago. He scrutinised her dishevelled evening attire with a raised brow. Are you feigning ignorance when you stink of the man who kills supernatural beings all across the continent?

Blood retreated from Helena’s face as she staggered backwards. Malachi caught her by the shoulders; his hands reverted back to normal. The words were stuck in her throat as more questions popped up in her head, yet no one was willing to give her the answers. Frustrated, she smacked Malachi’s loose grip away. What the hell is going on? I demand some answers. Someone here, Nobu, Malachi, Byron, you have to tell me what’s happening? What do you mean the meeting took place a year ago? Last time I checked, I was at a Christmas party with everyone before some witch trapped me in a magical circle, and I ended up here.

Byron planted a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. He whispered something into the alpha’s ear that Helena couldn’t make out from where she stood.

The alpha pressed his lips into a tight line as he listened to Byron’s words. Fine. She can come with us until we find out whether her story is true or not.

Nobu didn’t like what he was hearing. The blood spikes around him pointed at the alpha. She’s not going anywhere with the likes of you!

Try saying that again? the alpha snarled. His anger was supported with an orchestra of threatening growls coming from his pack members.

We can’t bicker over this all night, Helena protested. I’d rather get out of the cold and get something hot to drink. She sent a pleading look to Malachi who sighed.

The demon prince walked over to Nobu and nudged his friend’s arm. I know you don’t want to lose her, too, but we should respect her decision.

Byron outstretched his arm to her. Come with us, Helena.

Only if my friends can come, she replied.

The alpha’s piercing golden eyes narrowed on the warlock. I’d rather we kill them here and take the girl hostage.

Helena is a good kid, Byron added. If she says she has no knowledge of what’s happening, I’m inclined to believe her.

How can you be sure? the alpha challenged.

Byron smirked. Call it a gut feeling.

I hate it when you’re so laidback. The alpha combed his hand through his hair and relaxed his posture. Fine. Bring them along if you must, but they are prohibited from using magic and abilities on my pack. Understood?

Nobu snorted. Are you saying we aren’t allowed to defend ourselves?

Precisely. The alpha and Nobu had a staring contest that heightened the tension in the air.

Helena jumped between them with a nervous smile on her face. She offered her hand to the alpha in the form of a handshake. I’m Helena Hawthorn, nice to meet you.

The alpha seemed taken aback. He gave her another once-over and took her hand into a crushing hold that made her wince. Lucas Ford, Alpha of the South London pack. The gold in his irises faded, leaving two pitch-black holes that reminded her of Nobu’s equally as daunting eyes. He directed the pack members to collect the identifications of the dead vampires and to dispose of the bodies. The rest followed him back through the back gate and into the treeline.

Byron slapped Helena on the back and finally smiled. I’ve never seen anyone offer a handshake to Lucas and not get their head bitten off.

She massaged her aching hand. Undoubtedly, Lucas could have crushed her bones if he wanted to. She peered over her shoulder at Nobu and Malachi who were glaring at the werewolves that ventured into the castle. Looks like in a split second, I’ve missed a lot.

"So, you were serious