The Mark of Fate: Book 3 of The Marked series

by Ford, Rinna

  Contents

  Glossary of Terms

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Rinna Ford

  Copyright © 2020 by Rinna Ford

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Quirah Casey of Salvation Creations

  Editing by Dani Black

  Formatting by Gina Wynn

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without express written permission from the author. Any unauthorized use of this material is prohibited.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales are completely coincidence.

  Fate is what you make of it.

  Glossary of Terms

  Supernatural - Term used to describe those other than human. Specifically casters, shifters, and vampires.

  Casters - Magic users. Casters have natural magic and can cast spells. They can also have other skills, such as premonition and telekinesis. Their extra powers range from naturally weak to naturally powerful. The males of the species find their mates when they are both at least 20 years old and are driven to find them, no matter the distance. Mates can always feel their other halves when they are close by, even if they are not fully mated. Casters, both male and female, are stronger psychically, mentally, and physically when fully mated. They have long lives and can live around 600 years, if not killed prematurely.

  Shifters - Supernaturals that transform into animals. Shifters can either be wolves, bears, dragons, horses, tigers, or sharks. They can only take one form and it is the form one of their shifter parents take. Each species of shifter has strengths and weaknesses the others don’t possess. They are the most volatile of the supernatural species. Children first shift into their beasts when they reach puberty and are able to change at will after that. Males find their mates when they are both at least 20 years old and are driven to find their mates, no matter the distance. Mates can always feel their other half when they are nearby, even if they are not fully mated. Shifters, both male and female, are stronger physically and mentally when fully mated. They have long lives and can live around 500 years, if not killed prematurely.

  Vampires - Blood-sucking supernatural creatures that are made, not born. They appear human, except for their eyes that turn red and fangs that descend when feeding or agitated. Vampires are able to go out into daylight, but prefer the night because of eye sensitivity. They feed solely on the blood of other beings, human and supernatural. Vampires possess the ability to influence others, can move very fast, and are expert hunters. They too have mates, but males only find them if/when their mates are made vampire. Males can go their entire lives without finding mates. Once a male senses his mate has been made, he is driven to find her, no matter the distance. Mates can always sense their mates whenever they are close by, even if not fully mated. Vampires are stronger mentally, physically, and psychically when fully mated. They are immortal and can live forever, if not killed.

  Supernatural Council - Ruling body of the supernatural species. It is made up of three members of each of the three species; vampires, casters, and shifters, making nine total Council members. There is one member of each of the chosen Council member groups that is made to be a Head Councilman. Vampire Council members can only rule up to 500 years since they are true immortals. Shifter and caster Council members serve until they choose to step down or until death. New Council members are chosen by the remaining Council members, not elected by the society.

  Supernatural society - Supernaturals live in secret, hiding in plain sight. Most choose to live among humans, but some live outside in community groups. Each of the supernatural species rule themselves, like states, with their Council members at the head, while the entire Council rules them all as a national government would. Each of the supernatural races can only procreate within their own species, never mixing the others. Vampires cannot give birth to children, so they are forbidden from turning other supernaturals to vampires. Mixing species will result in dilution of the races, according to the Council, and is punishable by death. Paranormal races are to remain pure and intact.

  An accursed child of earth and fire,

  bathed in blood on the darkest of nights

  will rule supreme.

  War will be waged,

  lives will be lost,

  but harmony and peace can be found

  when three destinies are one.

  Chapter One

  “What is it?”

  I looked suspiciously at Irna as she handed me a vial of some concoction she and Dev had cooked up. They had been working together for almost two weeks since we got Devlin back from the Council. I wasn’t sure if I liked their sudden closeness, even though their main objective was to try and lessen the effects of my messed up magic.

  Since I had been transformed into a vampire, along with my caster and shifter sides, my casting ability had become less than reliable, to say the least. There were times when my magic would work, sometimes nothing would happen, and then there were times when it would backfire in spectacular fashion. No one knew what to expect and it was causing a lot of problems.

  Devlin being my uncle, and my self-appointed protector, decided to make it his mission to help me, especially since he was a caster himself. He never said it out loud, but I knew he felt guilty for not being there to help me learn the craft, not like he had a choice in the matter since he was held prisoner for the almost two months we were separated.

  And then, there was Irna. She was the mate Fate provided for my uncle, but one he had to reject because of something that was out of his control. Devlin was a gay man and though he cared for Irna, it wouldn’t have worked out. However, it didn’t stop her from holding out hope. It was in the way she hovered around him, and the way she looked at him when she thought no one else was looking. I would feel sorry for her, that was, if I still wasn’t pissed at her for the part she played in my becoming a vampire.

  Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a vampire. I loved the speed, the strength, and especially the mate who was chosen for me, but I was still bitter about how it happened. Irna told Di, the former leader of the rebel faction, about my past, and that made her realize I was meant to play a big part in the downfall of the ruling body, the Council.

  The Council ruled the supernatural society with an iron fist and all supes had two important rules to follow or they’d pay the price. One, don’t tell the humans about us, and two, no mixing of the races. Each race is supposed to be pure, undiluted, in order to keep each species as strong as they can be.

  But what the Council didn’t tell the people they ruled over was that the different races weren’t able to procreate with one another. It was medically impossible. That was, until me.

  They outright lied to the supernatural society because of a prophecy made almost eight hundred y
ears ago, telling of their downfall. It was made by a caster telling of a cursed child who would be of all three supernatural races-caster, shifter, and vampire. This child would defeat the ruling body and reign over the whole society, destroying the current Council. After hearing my story from Irna, Di believed I was that child, even though I was obviously an adult, I was the only mixed raced supernatural in existence. She took it upon herself to make me a vampire, making me a part of all three races.

  I was forced to be changed, not asked, and that was what I was still bitter about. Who’d blame me? If Irna had told someone else other than Diane Moore, someone with more compassion and decency…

  I looked at Irna then down at the vial with distaste. I trusted Devlin with my life, but I didn’t trust Irna at all. She was smart, but definitely didn’t have my best interests at heart.

  “Don’t be a baby,” Devlin told me, rolling his eyes. “It’ll help.”

  I sniffed it then pulled it away from my face. “What will it do?”

  “Well,” Irna began, fiddling with her hands.

  She always got nervous any time she talked directly to me. I didn’t know whether it was because she felt guilty or because she was afraid I’d drain her dry then use her husk of a dead body as a chew toy for my dragon. Either way, I got a little bit of satisfaction every time I saw her react to me. Small victories.

  “Well, we’re not one hundred percent sure what it’ll do…”

  “And you want me to do what? Drink this? I thought you loved me.”

  “You’re being dramatic,” he rolled his eyes. “It could do nothing but I, we know for a fact it won’t hurt you. Your blood is an active ingredient, so it won’t react badly to you. That, I can promise.”

  “But what do you hope to accomplish with this exactly?” I swirled the pearlescent green liquid in the glass vial, mesmerized at its beauty. It didn’t look harmful, but sometimes the most beautiful things were the most dangerous.

  They both looked at each other a little warily then over to me, which I didn’t like.

  “We think it will nullify your casting abilities.”

  Irna spoke so softly I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly, even with my heightened vampire senses.

  I put the vial into the stand and backed away from it. “Excuse me? It sounded like you said it would take away my ability to do magic altogether.”

  “Well, that’s what we hope,” Dev interjected, rising from his stool when he saw me inching toward the door. “It wouldn’t be permanent. You’d have to take the potion probably once a week to keep up the effects. It’ll give us time to find something that will help fix what’s wrong with you, and you won’t have to worry about burning off anyone’s hair on accident.”

  I cringed at the incident he alluded to. Three days ago, I accidently burnt the ends of Camille’s hair with a fireball that, for no good reason, shot out of my hand. We were outside and no one else was harmed, but the damage was done. It was a complete and total accident, and she was still pissed at me.

  A knocking on the door broke me out of the memory. We all turned toward the sound to see Matias’ smiling face. I itched to push his messy black hair out of his crystalline gray eyes. Seeming to know what I was thinking, he did it himself then shoved his tattooed hands into his jeans pockets and walked toward me.

  Being in the solarium made him nervous, even if he didn’t fully admit it. All those potions and ingredients lying around were enough to make anyone not familiar with them a bit on edge. He never knew what he was brushing up against and what it would do, so he kept his hands in his pockets and his arms tucked in close to his body. Not much scared my ferocious vampire mate, but he had a deep respect for casters and their workshops.

  When he reached me, I touched his arm and went up on my tippy toes, giving him a sweet kiss.

  “You ready, little one?” he asked when I pulled away.

  “Yeah.” I turned back to Devlin and Irna. “Can I think about it?”

  Irna looked down at the table in front of her and mumbled something about me being an irresponsible brat and Dev looked disappointed in me. I was the one giving up my powers and they wanted me to do it without question. There was also the fact that I didn’t trust Irna with pretty much anything.

  “Sure, kid,” he sighed and sat back down.

  I walked past him and squeezed his arm. His eyes met mine and I gave him a small smile letting him know I appreciated everything he was doing for me, even if it didn’t seem like it, but nulling my powers entirely would seem so… wrong. He seemed to understand and smiled back.

  Matias was waiting for me at the door and fell into step beside me as I walked by him. His hand wrapped around mine, and when we made it several more steps down the hall, he twirled me around and backed me into the wall. His lips descended onto mine in a passionate kiss that would make anyone forget where they were.

  My hands went up and under his shirt, and his were in my hair, effectively messing it up. He was the one to pull back though, and he did with the smirk of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. The bastard.

  “Don’t you dare say it,” I warned and pinched his side, making him flinch.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he laughed.

  Matias pulled his shirt all the way back down and I smoothed out my hair the best I could under the circumstances. The jerk. He loved to work me up in random places. I guess to keep things exciting? Not that we actually had to work at keeping it exciting.

  “Now tell me, what are you supposed to think about?” he asked as we began walking again toward Amos’ office.

  “Dev and Irna made a potion that is supposed to nullify my caster side. It isn’t permanent, but it would make me feel like that part of me doesn’t exist while I am under its influence.”

  “And you aren’t sure you like that idea?”

  “No, I know I don’t like that idea, but it feels like I don’t have much of a choice. My magic is just too unpredictable. I just want it to seem like it’s my decision, ya know? Then maybe it won’t be so hard.”

  We walked in silence for a few seconds while he thought about it. When he came to a conclusion, he stopped and cupped my face in his hands staring down into my eyes.

  “I understand how difficult it is to feel like your choices have been taken away from you, but if it’s out of your control, why worry about it? Focus on the things you can control, like this temporary solution that the uncle you love has given you, and it’ll work out like it’s supposed to. You can take this potion and it’ll calm your caster side enough so you don’t hurt anyone or yourself while we try to figure out how to fix it permanently and get your caster mate by your side. Yes, it’ll be uncomfortable and I wish it wouldn’t be. Your caster side is as much a part of you as your own heart, but this is something you can do to control the problem for the time being.”

  I sighed. “So your advice is to take it.”

  “I’m not going to tell you what to do.” I gave him an incredulous look, making him smirk. “I’m not going to tell you what to do outside of the bedroom,” he added. He did love being a bossy son of a bitch while we were having sex, but that was a different story. “It’s up to you, my love, and what you feel like you can live with.”

  “Thanks for the help,” I deadpanned, making him laugh out loud.

  We descended the final set of stairs down to the first level and rounded the corner toward the hall that Amos’ office was at the end of.

  “I’m always at your service, little one,” Matias joked as we approached the office door and knocked.

  After a few seconds, Xander, my dragon mate, answered the door. His jaw was clenched until he saw it was Matias and me who was there. His eyes softened, then became apologetic as he opened the door wider, letting us see inside.

  My grandfather, Amos, became the faction leader of the rebellion that we were technically a part of, took over when Di “stepped down.” Since then, he’d become much more important to the cause and a lot of the meetings tha
t involved the leaders of the rebellion were happening in the mansion we called home.

  That in itself was a big change after the battle at Devlin’s cabin, so when I peered inside, I expected to see the powerful supernaturals huddled around the large table Amos had brought in.

  What I didn’t expect to see was Chei Yun Liu as one of them.

  Chapter Two

  “You have got to be shitting me,” I muttered out loud to no one in particular.

  Chei Yun was a powerful dragon shifter, head shifter councilman for the very council we were trying to overthrow, and Xan’s father. He turned me in to the Council when I shifted for the first time when I was younger, and that led to my father’s death and my curse. To say I didn’t like the man would be an understatement of ultimate fucking proportions.

  He helped Xan and me out when we fled from my dragon mate’s home in Tennessee, but that was more for his son than for me. He said he felt bad for the situation he caused my family and me, but he was doing his duty to the Council. I couldn’t find it in myself to feel bad for him, even though I knew Xan still looked up to him.

  Chei Yun was a good father and a powerful dragon, and like everyone else in the world, human and supernatural alike, he was flawed and made mistakes. The mistake he made cost me my family. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forgive him.

  “Did you ask him to come?” I asked Xan.