by K. G. Reuss
“And yet it still didn’t work,” my voice wavered. “How was it protecting me? How did she even know she had to?”
Nev and Marcus glanced at one another.
“A long time ago a psychic made a prediction. Our people knew it. Over the years it became just a story. But then Marek, a powerful fae psychic, had another prediction. They were too similar to ignore,” Nev said.
Marek.
“What was the prediction?” I asked in a shaky voice.
“Basically, it said in the fifth generation, a Special would be born in the fifth month, on the fifth day on the fives. A whisperer. This whisperer would face death and have an opportunity to cheat it by the hand of her Reever. The Reever would have to choose to either let her live or let her die. If he chose her life, she would be marked, like him and become a mancer. In the hands of evil, the Mancer could bring the dead to life, creating an undead army. The army would have the power to take over both worlds—Nattie and Special. Forever. Infinity,” Marcus whispered.
I swallowed hard at the information. My hand shook as I clutched at the infinity symbol on my necklace. The mark on my shoulder twinged, making my stomach churn.
“Everything is there, Ever. I looked at your records. You’re the fifth generation to the great Seer Ferris who made the original prediction. You were born May fifth at five fifty-five in the morning. A few years after Marek’s prediction, Helena made a similar one. Only hers involved you dying. Everyone who knew of the prediction, thought the time of the Mancer would pass with ease because of her predicted death.”
“But it didn’t,” I whispered, clenching my necklace.
“No, it didn’t.” Marcus gave me a sad smile. “It wasn’t the end. It was the beginning. Or so it would seem. These predictions are hard to pinpoint. Perhaps they speak of another time since you have yet to die and remain so.”
“Helena was best friends with your grandma, Claudia,” Nev continued softly. “She never knew it would be Claudia’s granddaughter. No vision ever gave your name. Only details. Your grandma knew of her heritage and that she was the third. She kept everything about her family private, wanting to seal it away in the hopes of saving you.” Nev had been pacing as he spoke but stopped to look at me. “Claudia was in love with another Special, a lock named Garrett Vega.”
“I don’t understand—”
“Ever, your grandma got pregnant while she was at Dementon. She knew she couldn’t stay, especially since she had a bid for Conexus. Having a child out of wedlock, having that child and it not being with a member of Conexus or of the elite of our world, wouldn’t fly. It was either her die or her baby. Garrett couldn’t bear to be without her, and the thought of losing their baby for Conexus drove him to the edge of madness. They faked their deaths while on summer break their senior year,” Marcus said.
“Wait. What?” I looked between Marcus and Nev.
“You see, Ever,” Nev said, kneeling in front of me. “Garrett and Claudia knew things were happening they couldn’t stop.”
“My grandma wasn’t married to a man named Garrett Vega. My grandpa’s name was—”
“Vance Torres,” Nev finished softly. My throat tightened at his words.
“He changed his name, Ever. He married your grandma, hence Vance and Claudia Torres. No one ever thought to look for them or think anything of it. They raised your dad. Then he married your mom and had you. You’re fifth generation. You’re everything they said.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” I argued weakly. “My grandpa is dead. My grandma—”
“Ever, sweetheart,” Nev sighed, rubbing his eyes. “They’re both alive. If there’s anything your family is good at, it’s rising from the dead. Many times.”
I let out the soft whimper I’d been biting back, my heart plummeting to the floor. “But why would they fake their deaths again?”
“Because Specials can’t live in the Nattie world without raising suspicion. We don’t age like they do. Plus, they knew you were coming. They managed to keep you a secret until you were in your accident. All those years of trying to defeat what the Order had been planning failed. You happened too fast. They had to prepare. The Order knew of the predictions. It always seemed like they had our best interests at heart. They still do even now until you look beneath the surface. Beneath all the calmness is a tidal wave,” Nev continued, still kneeling in front of me. “They’re power hungry. There’s a shift in power within. We don’t know all the details. No one does but them. We can’t trust them. Not even Conexus. Because when it boils down to Cipher—the threat the Order decided to create when they realized we were trying to protect the Mancer from their claws—Conexus will side with their rulers. And it’s not us, sweetheart. In their eyes, we’re the bad guys.”
I remained silent for a moment, taking everything in, my body numb from shock.
“Do they think I’m the Mancer?” I asked in a shaky voice. “The Order? Conexus? They know?”
“We can’t be sure,” Marcus said, getting to his feet and going to pull out another folder. He handed it to me. “But they’ve been looking.”
I flipped the folder open and gasped. There were tons of articles on teen deaths. Teens with a mental history. Teens with hallucinations.
“What is this?” I asked softly.
“Someone was sending void walkers out to find the Mancer. The Order knew something was up with Claudia. I don’t know how, but they knew. I think they’ve been watching you for a long time despite Claudia and Vance’s attempts at keeping you hidden. Any Nattie who claimed to see the dead were—are— being systematically hunted down until they find who they’re looking for. You. You survived a car accident.”
“Shadow,” I whispered.
Nev nodded at me. “The Reever. He came for you. He brought you back. We don’t know if the Order was involved in your accident. We don’t know if they know about you being who you clearly are, but obviously they’re suspicious because here you are, under the watchful eye of Conexus.”
I shook my head, feeling shocked at all the information.
“What the Order is doing is wrong, Ever.” Marcus cleared his throat and took the folder back from me. “For years they’ve been trying to eradicate the vampires. They hate them. They think vampires are impure because of their bloodlust. And their incredibly long lifespan could be a threat to everything the Order has built. Why do you think there are so many rules for them? They can’t even feed like they’re meant to. They have to drink blood from a bag, which drastically shortens their lives. Even when they have willing participants, it’s deemed immoral. They’re on a mission to take out the entire faction. A vampire murdered the queen. It took an already bad situation and lit it on fire. That vampire was not one of ours.”
“They have to be stopped,” Nev growled, his eyes flashing in anger. “We aren’t the monsters. They are.”
“We don’t have the proof we need to prove it all though. We don’t even know which Order member is orchestrating things. Some say the king. Some say it’s someone else pulling the strings. And there are even others who claim it’s the entire council. Conexus takes the dead in a box and sends the soul, the energy, to Xanan. Why do they do that? What happens?” Marcus murmured. “We just don’t know. And we don’t have an in with Conexus. We’ve tried to get inducted for ages, but Raiden hates vampires because of Helena’s death. So he won’t allow Nev in. I can’t get in because of my association with Nev and my family being under suspicion of Cipher activity. We’ve got nothing.” He let out a desperate sigh.
“And even if we did, we’re threatening the law. They won’t prosecute themselves. That only leaves one choice. We take them out. They’ve wanted to eradicate the vamps and half-bloods for years. We aren’t the bad guys. I swear to you we aren’t. I need you to trust me on that. I only have my word until you join us. Then I can show you everything,” Nev pleaded, taking my hand in his and giving it a squeeze.
I sat quietly, staring at him as he looked back at me with d
esperation on his face.
“Follow your heart, Ever,” Marcus murmured. “It’s the only thing you can do.”
His words struck a chord. “Will you take me to see my grandmother? My grandfather?” I looked between the guys.
“You’ll see them someday if you join us,” Nev promised.
“I shouldn’t have to join you to see them,” I argued. “If all of this is true, then I want to see them before I agree to join. At least my grandma. I want her to tell me everything is true. I-I want proof.”
“Claudia is a force to be reckoned with, Ever. Our mission is to tell you. Her rules on the matter are firm.”
“You speak of her like she’s a big deal—”
“She’s one of our generals, Ever. She is a big deal. Aviram chose her because of her skills. Claudia is amazing,” Nev said with pride.
“A general,” I murmured, feeling dazed. “And what are you two?”
“I’m a general,” Nev’s voice was soft. “I’m the highest rank. Marcus is my second in command.”
“And Aviram, your uncle, gave you the title?” I ventured.
“No.” Nev shook his head, brushing his knuckles against my cheek gently. “Aviram is my father, Ever. I’m the son of the overlord.”
“Oh god.” My stomach turned at the information. “Y-you’re his son?”
“Yes. My uncle Alastor moonlights as my father.”
“And your mother?”
“I’ve never met my mother,” Nev said sadly. “She died a long time ago when I was just an infant. Her death was too painful for my father. I don’t even know what she looks like. He removed all traces of her from our home.” He grew wistful, a look of sheer sadness washing over his face.
“I’m sorry you didn’t know her—”
“I do know her,” Nev admitted, giving my hands a squeeze. “My father loved her with his entire being. My father is a good man. I will always trust in his word.”
“This is unbelievable,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. It made little sense. My head felt like it would explode with the information I had. There was no need to make a bigger mess. “What do you want from me exactly?”
“Join us,” Marcus stated. “We’ll offer you the protection you need.”
Nev nodded. “You’ll be our charge. We’ll be your overseers while we get through this. We have a mission to find out who the Reever is. Our job is to locate both the Mancer and the Reever. And you we’ve found. Confirmed. It was all theory before. Everyone had hoped it was just poor visions. You’re marked, right?”
I nodded weakly. “On my shoulder.”
“We need to find him. Do you have any idea who he is?” Nev pressed.
“Eric.” I drew in a deep breath. “He’s the only one I can think of. He’s always been there to protect me. But I don’t know if it can really be him. I-I think he was just sent to keep watch over me.”
Marcus nodded. “Makes sense. He’s probably trying to find the Reever too, so that’s why he’s been close to you. He was planted to get information.”
“Then why was he taken away and Raiden put in his place?” I ventured.
“Easy. Craft wasn’t getting the information. And everyone knows how the general is. Raiden Hawthorne always gets what he wants. He’s a hound for the Order. He’s their number one man for everything. And he’s heading F.I.R.E.. That’s not an easy job. If shit goes down, Hawthorne is who gets called in. I don’t like him, but I gotta respect his skill.” Nev shook his head and got to his feet, pacing again.
My stomach sank at that information.
“We need you to find out who the Reever is, Ever. You’re in a really good position with Hawthorne as your trainer. You can try to get the information out of him,” Nev continued.
“How?” I asked dully.
“I want you to do whatever it takes. You want to know as badly as we do. We aren’t blind. You need the Reever.” Nev gave me a sad smile. “He’s your other half.”
“This is nuts,” I hissed, rubbing my eyes. “I-I don’t even know what to do with all this information. If I join you guys, then what? Can’t I have a trial meeting? Can I think about all of this before I decide? Can’t I see my grandparents for proof that this is true?”
“Of course, you can have time. Just not too long. We’re on a time constraint here. We can’t let you fall into the Order’s hands. I’ll talk to Claudia and Vance about seeing you. They’re always out on missions. It’s hard to reach them sometimes. If you don’t mind waiting until we can get them here, we can try to arrange the meeting. Are you agreeable?”
“Yeah. Yeah,” I breathed out. “I-I need time.”
“Take it. Get close to Hawthorne. Maybe it’ll help shed some light on the situation,” Marcus instructed. The lock on the door clicked open. “We’ll be waiting.”
I rose to my feet and looked at the guys. “I have one last question.”
Both stood staring at me, waiting for me to continue.
“Did my mother know about this?”
“Not to my knowledge. Claudia wanted it to be a secret. Your father knew some of it. Enough that it started to drive him mad. He was fourth generation. Right behind you in power. Some vessels simply aren’t good enough to contain the power. It’s a fact that too much can drive a person mad. I suspect that’s what happened to your father.”
My throat tightened as I stared at them. “I’m afraid.”
“Good,” Nev said softly. “That means you’re serious. Fear can be a good motivational tool. Use it wisely, Ever.”
I swallowed down my whimper and turned away, the drained feeling from everything, including Nev’s bloodsucking, weakening me. I needed to get the hell out of there and clear my head.
Twenty-Nine
Raiden
“Argh!” I shouted, trying to heave the wraith off me. A groan ripped from my mouth as its claws tore into my abdomen, nearly gutting me. Blood poured hot and sticky from the gaping wound, making me grind my teeth as I bit back another gasp of pain.
“It’s too late,” it hissed at me. Its icy, sticky spittle dripped onto my neck and face as I struggled to hold it off, my arms shaking with the effort. “She’s in our sights. Glory be the Cipher!”
A shrieking wheeze escaped its mouth. The nasty putrid breath which reeked of death and decay wafted over my face, causing me to retch painfully. Its dead body collapsed on top of me. Eric’s sword protruded from its back. Then the creature fizzled and popped, leaving me covered in my blood and its black ash.
“You OK?” Eric asked breathlessly, his face covered in a sheen of sweat. He offered me a hand which I took. My other hand clutched my torn abdomen.
“Got you good.” Damien’s eyes zeroed in on my dark shirt, which was darker now because of the blood I was losing.
I focused on healing it, making the wound knit together so at least I wouldn’t die. I needed to get back to Brandon though. I was far too drained to heal myself more.
Eric and Damien had to carry me back. Even taking some energy from my friends, I was barely able to stand, my body weak and exhausted. The fight had completely drained me. It was a new feeling. Nothing even close to that had ever happened before. Typically, I was able to overcome any situation, hard fight or not. It felt like my energy had been siphoned as we worked our way through the nest. My body became progressively weaker, my arms and legs heavier, until I’d faltered and ended up beneath a wraith. I had no idea what was draining me. And that frightened me.
Something was happening. Changing. All I knew was I had to get back to Ever. Fast. Her getting close to Ambrose had me worried. Everything within me told me something was wrong with that picture. Ambrose and Blackburn didn’t do anything unless there was something in it for them.
During the hunt, I’d been distracted thinking about my night with her as Shadow and the fact she’d gone with Ambrose, not once, but twice—something I still couldn’t figure out—when the loss of energy had started. Then, a sharp ache filled my chest, that familiar feeling
I got whenever Everly was in trouble washing over me. I’d lost focus. I’d paid for it too. I knew she was safe because the ache faded away before I was pulled to her. I’d left members behind so they would be close. If there was any sort of attack, we’d know about it.
Despite my injuries, the hunt was successful, even if we all came back sore and tired. We hadn’t gained any more information, but at least we’d taken out the creatures who were causing the issues. Before Brandon could start healing me, I turned to Eric. “Go. Check on her. Something wasn’t right. It’s fine now. I think.”
“Say no more,” Eric responded and immediately left.
By the time he returned, I was pretty much healed up and ready to relax. Anxiously, I leaned forward.
“She’s fine. Safe and sound and asleep,” Eric said, immediately putting me at ease.
A relieved sigh fell from my lips as I leaned back.
By the time Monday rolled around, I felt loads better with not a mark on my body. I showered and readied myself for the day, giving myself a pep talk the entire time. I can do it. Ever’s just another face in the crowd. I’ll get through training her. It’ll teach her so much, and she’ll be safer because of it. That alone is worth everything, including getting my heart crushed each and every time I’m near her.
I almost believed that I could pretend she was just another student by the time I left my room. I rubbed my eyes as we walked to the courtyard in a group like we always did. Students scattered from us, clearing a path so we could walk without issue. I felt her before I saw her. I zeroed in on her, and my heart gave a stutter.
Her skin was pale. Dark circles rimmed her pretty eyes. Her hair hung in limp, black stands around her. In the few days since I’d last seen her, she’d gone from her healthy glow to being what she was before she got here.
“What the hell happened to Ever?” Jared breathed out, following my gaze.
“Gen, maybe you should go over there,” Chloe murmured, nudging me. “She looks like she could use some healing. Plus, you’re her trainer now. You can interact with her.”