The Mark of Fate: Book 3 of The Marked series

by Ford, Rinna

  She really was having a hard time with it all, and I completely understood. If anything happened to any one of my mates…. I closed my eyes at the thought and willed myself to calm down. For a second there, I forgot I didn’t have to worry about my crazy caster side going apeshit and I sighed in relief.

  “You seem calmer,” she told me, looking suspicious.

  “I am. You won’t have anything to worry about, I promise.” My gaze shifted toward Amos when I said the last two words, showing him I meant it.

  Chapter Five

  The detention facility we were planning to invade was located in upstate New York, so Camille and a couple other casters teleported Matias, Xander, Amos, me, and several more people from the California mansion to the rebellion faction located near it. We were met by the leader of the rebel cell, a caster by the name of Ingrid.

  She stood a head taller than me with long blonde hair and bright green eyes. I liked her instantly, even though she eyed my mates with interest. I may have been insecure about a lot of things, but not them. Not anymore. I didn’t know what it was, but somehow, they finally got through to me the night before. Standing there, watching Ingrid move a little closer to Xander than absolutely necessary, I realized how much it didn’t matter. They were mine and I was theirs, and nothing would ever change that. The fact that Xan seemed to not even notice how close the blonde beauty queen had moved toward him, cemented the feeling in me even more.

  “Xander, Matias, Emelia, and Marco will be going in through this entrance,” Amos pointed to a back entrance on the map of the facility, “while Hiram, Gina, Lincoln, Abel, and Derrick will go in through the west entrance.” He pointed toward an entrance on the opposite side. “I’ll be with Camille, Ingrid, and Benji, who will use a spell to bring down the security system and make sure no one is able to call for reinforcements. Now people, remember we aren’t attacking the Council, at least not yet. This is a search and discover mission. Kill only if necessary. We’re the good guys, got it?”

  Everyone around the table nodded their understanding. Amos looked every bit the general commanding his army, and that made me smile. It suited him. As people started filing out of the room and toward the waiting vehicles, my grandfather stopped me.

  “Emelia, a word?” He nodded toward Xander and Matias, silently telling them I’d only be a few minutes. Each one of my men gave me a kiss before walking out the door, leaving me alone with my grandfather. He closed the door behind them and turned back to me, his eyes full of concern. “Devlin told me about the potion you took. Honestly, that’s the only reason I let you come on this mission.”

  I lowered my eyes. “I know I’ve been pretty awful…”

  “That’s not it,” he interrupted. “Although you have been quite a brat lately.” I looked up to see him smirking. “I know that being without your caster side must be strange, but at least I know that nothing on your end will happen unexpectedly.”

  I nodded, understanding what he meant by that. I wasn’t at risk of blowing something up or teleporting to the edge of a cliff on accident. Besides, the fact that I knew I didn’t have my casting abilities, I wouldn’t try to call for a weapon, only to leave me high and dry like it did at the cabin when I faced off against Michael Ironshot. Because I couldn’t call for my caster blade, he’d found his opening and stabbed me, twice.

  “Keep those mates of yours close,” Amos then told me, breaking me out of that memory. “Your father told you to never go at it alone and I think it’s great advice. They’re good for you.”

  “Yes, they are,” I smiled in agreement.

  Amos pulled me into an unexpected hug and I quickly returned it. Affection from my grandfather didn’t happen very often, so when he showed it, I made sure to savor it.

  “Stay safe, and let’s bring down those fuckers, okay?” I could hear the smile in his voice and I nodded my response.

  I pulled away, giving him one last smile before opening the door and walking out toward my mates and a caster named Marco who were waiting outside of a black SUV.

  “Everything okay?” Xan asked.

  “Yup. He just wanted to give me a pep talk. Who’s driving?”

  Matias held up the car keys in his hand, but instead of automatically getting into the driver’s seat, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door, waiting for me to get in.

  “Kiss ass,” Xander mumbled again as he got into the back seat.

  “Hey, don’t be jealous, man,” Matias grinned. “I can’t help it that I’m more of a gentleman than you are.”

  “Gentleman my ass.”

  The two of them bickered for most of the trip while I talked with Marco and got to know him a little better. I mean, I knew him in passing from the California mansion, especially since we were in the same casting circle, but I had never talked to him.

  I learned a lot about Marco on our drive and I was kicking myself for not getting to know him sooner. He joined the rebellion because he was a gay man and that wasn’t tolerated in his home casting circle, especially when he was pressured into bonding with his mate. His story was a sad one, especially since he thought about suicide more than once before finding the courage to leave. It was a tragedy all the way around, but things were looking up for Marco and the woman who was his fated mate, who was also in the rebellion and living with a faction in Texas. She was happy and in love with a wolf shifter, and Marco, well he was figuring out who he was. In the meantime, he was insanely talented and an amazing person. I was glad to have him on our team.

  After driving for over an hour, Matias pulled our SUV behind the other two teams in a densely wooded area and parked. When we were a safe distance away, Ingrid gazed upon the vehicles and said a spell, making them shrink to the size of matchbox cars. She and two of the other members of her group picked them up and put them in their pockets.

  “Holy shit, that’s a neat trick,” I told her. I was a little envious and wanted to be able to do that. I made a note to have her teach me how to do it… whenever I got my casting abilities back and they actually worked like they were supposed to.

  “It does come in handy,” she beamed at me. Ingrid pulled out a map from another pocket and began studying it. “Emelia, your team will go that way,” she pointed to the left,” and Hiram, your team will go in that direction.” She pointed to the right. “We’ll give you all an hour head start. When you reach the facility, find ground cover until we give you the all clear signal. You know what to do after that.”

  Amos began handing out earpieces for us to use so we could communicate with one another. I looked at my grandfather, impressed as I took mine from him and slipped it into my right ear. It was a little uncomfortable, but it didn’t bother me since it would be incredibly useful on the mission.

  After we all tested our earpieces, we separated and went to our marks. The guys and I ran at a quick pace, although not as fast as vampires run since Xander and Marco weren’t vampires. We were able to see the facility long before our hour time limit and found a large grouping of shrubs and rocks to hide behind.

  “Amos, we’re in place,” I said into my communicator.

  “Good job,” he replied. “Stay out of sight until we tell you that it’s all clear.”

  I sat on the ground with my back against a rock while everyone else settled in.

  “They’re all casters like Dad said,” Xan whispered.

  I got up on my knees and turned around so I could peek over the rock. There were four guards stationed at the barbed wire fence that surrounded the building and another three at the door we needed to get through. The closer I looked at them, the more I realized that they were right. There wasn’t a vampire or shifter in sight.

  “Matias, do you see anyone else besides the seven I’m looking at?” I asked. With our vampire senses, we had the best eyesight out of the supernatural species but because of my issues with my caster side, my confidence wasn’t there.

  His eyes made another pass and he took a deep breath in and out
. “Just those seven,” he replied. “There are more on the other side of the building, but they’re not our problem for now. We can take out those few without raising any alarms and get in, no problem.”

  We sat and watched the guards mill around their posts, not sensing any danger until Amos gave us the all clear. Matias looked straight at me and nodded his head. He and I were to go in first, using our speed to incapacitate the guards before they even knew what hit them. We both got up on our feet and crouched down as we walked around the rock, then took off toward the gate. I reached the two guards on the right and slammed their heads together, knocking them out. I then ran through the open gate toward the other guards but Matias had already beat me to them. All seven were knocked out like Amos wanted, and not at all dead. I knew my grandfather would be proud.

  Within seconds, Xander and Marco were there, zip tying the guards’ hands behind their backs and taping their mouths shut so they wouldn’t be able to use spells against us if they woke up. The guys piled the guards up next to the building and covered them with a tarp after I went through their pockets and found key cards for us to use once we got into the building.

  Xan used his card to unlock the outer door and peeked in before opening it and stepping inside. The rest of us followed him and Marco closed the door behind him. We all stood in the hallway for a second as we got our bearings since we had memorized the map of the facility.

  Everything was sterile white, from the ceiling to the walls to the floor; very clean and not what I’d expect from a prison. It felt more like a hospital. Xan and I looked at each other at the same time and I knew that he came to the same conclusion that I had.

  “This way,” Marco said, stepping in front. Our main target would be the control room. We were to find surveillance footage of the goings on and get out if there was nothing else to find.

  He stopped at the corner and peered around, seeing a guard coming out of the surveillance room and walking toward us. Marco looked at Matias, giving him the go, and he took off around us, sweeping up the guard and knocking him out in less than a second.

  My vampire mate stood at the door the man had just exited from and waited for us to join him. The guard was bound and gagged like the others, then Matias opened the door with his keycard and swept inside in an instant, knocking out two more guards without breaking a sweat.

  Xander pulled the guard from the hallway inside the room and closed the door behind us all.

  “We’re in the surveillance room,” he said into his communicator.

  “Good job. Collect as much information as you can,” Amos commanded.

  Marco and Matias began to do exactly that while my eyes went to the thirty-some monitors in front of me. At the top right, I saw the other rebel team sweep inside and go for the holding cells. They were to take recordings, papers, whatever they could find and get out while we did our job.

  My eyes cast down to the screen below that one and I saw prison cells lined up across the walls of big rooms. Hands stuck out through the bars as prisoners were waiting for something.

  Below that one, I saw some men and women in white lab coats walking in and out of a room. My eyes went left and I saw more scientists. I kept looking left until I saw groups of hospital beds. On them were people, supes. They were strapped down and in various stages of being experimented on.

  I covered my mouth with a shaky hand as I stared at the tired, worn out, and hopeless faces on the screen. That was until I realized that I knew one of them.

  Sorrow turned to complete and total outrage as my vampire took over and I grabbed one of the guards, shaking him until he woke up. His eyes went wide in fear and he tried to scurry away but I slammed his face against the monitor, cutting his forehead open and cracking the screen.

  “Where is that?!” I screamed at him as I pulled him back so he could see what I was talking about.

  “What are you doing?” Matias was right by my side in an instant but he didn’t try to stop me.

  “Where is that room?!” I yelled even louder. I was seconds away from ripping the guard’s throat out but then I knew I wouldn’t get any answers.

  “Wing, wing B,” he stuttered.

  Having memorized the layout earlier that morning, I bashed his head against the monitors again and took off out the room toward Wing B. Using my key card, I buzzed my way inside and into the medical ward.

  “Who are you?” a scientist asked me and walked across the floor to the wall toward a communication device rather than waiting on an answer.

  Before she could reach it, I snapped her neck and ran through another set of doors seeing rows of hospital beds lined up on each side of the room. I walked quickly down each side, looking at the faces of the people laying on them until I found Ainsley’s kind eyes staring back at me.

  “Sugarbear,” he rasped out through dry, cracked lips. He tried to reach for me but his arms were shackled down. I ran to him and undid his bindings, holding one of his hands in mine. “I knew you’d find me,” he whispered. “Is Devlin with you?”

  I felt my vampire slip away and I became completely devastated by what I saw as I looked him over. He looked as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks, if not longer than that. His skin was nearly translucent and his hair was dry and brittle. He wasn’t attached to any tubes or devices, but I could see cuts and needle marks on his arms that told me they had been used on him, frequently. Then I looked down the length of his body and I noticed that his body shape looked off. I pulled the sheet that covered him down and saw that his legs were missing, cut off just above the knees.

  I covered my mouth as a cry burst from my body.

  “Anisley, what did they do to you?” I whimpered and looked away from where his legs used to be.

  “I, I tried to get away…” He took a deep rattling breath and I knew he was exhausted. “I didn’t need my legs for what they wanted to do with me…”

  Matias, Xan, and Marco found me at that exact moment with matching looks of horror and concern.

  I kissed Ainsley’s hand and touched his face before rising and looking at my mates and Marco. I made no attempt to wipe away the tears that freely fell down my cheeks. But instead of sadness, I looked at them with determination and fury.

  “Marco, take Ainsley back to the California mansion and find Devlin Stratton. When Dev has him, come back here.”

  Marco nodded his head and walked to Ainsley. I could tell he didn’t want to touch my uncle, either afraid of hurting him or because he looked almost grotesque, but the caster took Ainsley’s hand and the two were teleported away. When I was satisfied they were gone, I let my vampire come back out. Soliel was right on the edge, waiting for her chance as well and I urged her to stay hidden, but close.

  Closing my eyes and smelling the air, I located the scientists who hurt Ainsley and the other supes. My eyes popped open and I took off toward them, not even waiting for my mates to follow. I knew they would, but these kills would be mine.

  The first scientist I found was sitting at a desk, facing the doorway. He looked up at the very moment I snatched him by his shirt and drug him over top of it, crashing him to the floor. I broke his neck in that single move then went to the next scientist. He had a caster’s sword in his hand and he was rushing toward me, but my hands had transformed into dragon claws. I caught his sword in my hand and ripped it away from him, letting it fall to the ground. He took a step back and began chanting a spell, but I latched onto him before he could get the first word out and sunk my fangs deep into his throat.

  Another scientist ran at me while I was draining his friend dry, and I caught him by the throat, lifting him up into the air. He beat at my hands to let him go but my claws were digging into his jugular and the fight quickly left him as my dragon poison began working its way through his body.

  I let go of the two scientists when they were no more than lifeless husks and dropped them to the ground. Another scientist that I didn’t see, ran around the corner and straight at me with her blade, but before I c
ould counter her attack, Matias caught her and bashed her head against the wall, knocking her out.

  I hissed angrily at Matias and attempted to extract her from his clutches, but I was immediately wrapped in a pair of strong arms, pinning my arms to my sides. I screamed out, trying to get away and ended up taking us both to the ground. Matias jumped on top of us as Xan’s grip started to loosen and he screamed for someone to help.

  “Let me go!” I yelled, bearing my fangs and throwing my body around when I felt the familiar feeling of being teleported away.

  We all fell with a thump in the grass behind the California mansion, Marco included in with my mates and me. They all released me and I jumped up, grabbing Marco by the front of his shirt.

  “Take me back!” I growled in his face.

  He looked terrified and his eyes darted over my shoulder to one of my mates then back to my face.

  “I, I…”

  I felt something cut into my bare arm and I looked at it, my anger slipping away as fogginess took over. I released my grasp on Marco and began to stumble, falling into Xander’s arms.

  “I’m so sorry, baby,” he told me.

  “You, you scratched me. Didn’t you?”

  My eyes blinked open and closed lazily but I could see the sadness in his eyes.

  “Tell Marco I’m sorry. Tell Amos…”

  My words died off as everything went black.

  Chapter Six

  My eyes opened to see a familiar clearing, one straight from my memories. It was the same clearing I visited whenever I got to speak to my father in our dreamscape.

  I looked around, turning my body as I took in the light breeze and the warming of the late afternoon sun but saw no one else. Sometimes my dad liked to make an entrance and I assumed that was what he was doing. But, who knows? The whole idea of magic was still practically a new concept to me, even though it was something I deeply loved about the supernatural way of life.