by Ford, Lizzy
“No. They were taken.” Her voice shook as she admitted the words out loud for the first time. She’d lost contact with her mate before being taken to the immortal world. For all she knew, he was trapped down there as she had been.
“I will shred Dusty for not taking better care of you!”
“No, Jonny,” she chided. “I love Dusty. I love you both, no matter what happens. Right now, I need your help.”
Jonny met her gaze again, and she saw a flicker of familiar warmth in his dark eyes. Her heart still hurt for her brother, whose road was dark and lonely. She’d never forget he chose it to save her, just as she’d never forget how much she loved the little brother she’d all but raised.
“I’ll take her.”
Bianca turned at the newcomer’s voice and hesitated, staring at the seven-foot vamp standing next to the couch. After the exchange in the immortal world, she knew Sofi was on no good terms with Xander. Her gaze fell to Sofi’s still form. She’d knocked the Oracle out to make Traveling a little more comfortable. Their return to the mortal world seemed only to hasten the birth rather than slow it. Without touching her, Bianca could still feel Sofi’s body preparing to expel the child within, whether or not she went to a hospital.
“Very well,” she said.
“I do nothing for free,” Xander reminded her. His fangs grew before her eyes, nearly the size of her pinky. “Always wanted to taste a Healer. I hear your blood is the sweetest of all.”
Bianca swallowed hard, reminded of her time being bled near death by the former Black God and his son. Her throat was too tight to answer, so she nodded her agreement. Xander snatched her arm, and she closed her eyes.
“Wait, no.” Jonny’s voice held a note she couldn’t place but it sounded almost like fear. “No, Xander.”
“She agreed. She pays the price for my assistance.”
“Not my sister.”
“You’re the Black God. She’s no longer your sister, not when she serves the White God. You will let me do this.”
“Don’t try your mind tricks on me!” Jonny exploded. His magic filled the air, shoving between Bianca and Xander and pushing her away. “I felt it this time, Xander. Jenn was right. You’ve been manipulating me for weeks now.”
“I seem to be the only thing standing between you and an army of angry vamps you can’t control,” Xander pointed out.
Jonny took Bianca’s hand and pulled her behind him, stepping between the two of them. Her gaze returned to Sofi, whose body was under distress.
“Not anymore. I’m claiming my rightful place as the Black God, and I’ll do it without traitors like you and Jenn at my side.” Jonny’s voice took on a firm, cold note. “Get the fuck away from me and my sister.”
“Is this your final choice?” Xander asked.
“It is.”
“Very well.” The Original Vamp disappeared.
“What just happened, Jonny?” Bianca asked, looking up at her brother.
“I’m strong enough to do it alone. I don’t know what he wanted, but he must’ve been trying to use me,” he said. “I don’t need him or anyone.”
“Except your big sis.”
Jonny looked down at her. He smoothed her hair from her face. Her magic prodded him, and she saw the same trace of metamorphosis that had marked Darian the past few weeks. The Grey God had morphed quickly from someone confused by his world to someone in control of his world. Jonny was going through the same.
“You would be ashamed to know what I’ve done,” he said. “I will always protect you, B, no matter what you think of me.”
“I’m never ashamed of you, Jonny. I’ll love you no less because of what you are.”
“I’ll take her. But I can’t do this again. I hope you understand.”
“I do, Jonny. I won’t ask any more favors,” she said, spirits rising.
“Tell Dusty, if this happens again …” Jonny warned.
“It won’t.”
Jonny strode to Sofi and lifted her again. Bianca took his arm, heart somersaulting. She wanted to tell her brother how proud of him she was. Black God or not, he’d never forgotten his sister. He took them to the nearby hospital and set Sofi carefully on a stretcher in the hallway leading to the emergency room.
Bianca bent over her, sending her soothing power into her.
“Good-bye, Bianca,” Jonny said.
“Thank you, Jonny.” She turned to face him.
He took in her features again then looked down the hall, where several people moved towards them. Jonny turned away from her and walked out of the hospital, waiting until he was out of view to Travel.
Bianca’s gaze lingered on where he’d been, sensing she wouldn’t see him again for a long time. Whatever the exchange between him and Xander meant, he’d showed how strong he’d grown. He wasn’t the conflicted boy anymore. He was a man who understood power. It made him dangerous, an enemy of her mate and his brothers.
I meant it, Jonny. I’ll always love you. She didn’t know if he heard her or not.
She woke Sofi with a touch and tugged the gurney down to the emergency room.
“Where am I?” Sofi asked.
“Hospital.”
“Damian.”
Bianca heard her voice catch and couldn’t answer. She squeezed Sofi’s hand and was soon hustled out of the way by a nurse and his aide. Bianca watched Sofi being rolled away, unable to stop the tears that rose the moment Sofi was out of sight. Dusty, Sofi. If something happened to either, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. She paced then sat. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out, heart soaring at the hope it was Dusty.
It wasn’t. The only of Damian’s family to be on any sort of speaking terms with the Watchers, she’d tried not to contact them after Damian’s edict about declaring war on the immortal creatures. Still, she’d texted once, soon after Dusty disappeared, asking her Watcher where her mate was.
Safe. Soon. The answer from her Watcher was far briefer than its normal exchanges. Relief poured through her. As much as Dusty and his brothers distrusted the Watchers, she’d found them unlikely friends. They’d never lied to her.
Bianca sat back, hands shaking. She waited for news of Sofi and prayed for her mate, wherever he was.
Darian couldn’t believe what he’d seen through Jenn’s eyes. He’d altered their course to take them to the beach, where the obelisk was. Where Jenn was. Where she was.
“Darian, where are we going?” Yully asked.
“I’ve got some business to take care of.”
“And I want to kill some Others.”
Darian glanced at Charles. “Both of you, go to the obelisk. Stay behind it. No one will mess with you before I get there.” He held out his hand to Charles, pushing the location into his mind.
“I’ll start collecting its magic,” Yully said. “Don’t be long, Darian.”
“I won’t be far,” he promised.
Heart pounding, Darian waited until they were gone. He sheathed his weapons and Traveled to where the beach met the apple orchard. Xander materialized and leaned against a tree, watching. Darian moved forward as if in a dream, stopping within the shade of apple trees as he gazed at the scene before him.
“Sexy,” Xander purred. “Hope you don’t want them both to live through this.”
The two warriors were well matched physically. Darian took in Jenn’s body first. She’d been through a lot already today; her exposed midriff and leggings were red with dried blood, and cuts crisscrossed her arms and back. His necklace bounced against her chest as she struck and blocked with fluid, catlike movements.
His gaze moved to her opponent, a woman who looked as poised and rested as Jenn appeared battered. Claire’s auburn hair was tied back in a ponytail, her shapely body clad in a black cat-suit. Her blue eyes flashed with familiar fire, fire that used to make his blood hot for her.
Memories bombarded him, almost crippling him. Memories of a time when he’d been happy as the White God with his Oracle at his side. Memories o
f a time spent in a black hell while his mate helped the Black God keep him enslaved. She was still as beautiful as the day he met her, but she’d never have Jenn’s heart. Jenn fought for him. Claire fought for Claire.
“I thought she was dead,” he said at last. “Damian killed her.”
“Does it matter?” Xander said. “Whoever you don’t want is mine. Jenn would be a good addition to my … collection.”
“You’re not getting either of them.”
“You only get one mate. Pick one.”
“There’s no decision to make.” Darian looked at Xander, unable to determine what game the Original Being played. The Vamp watched, interest on his features as the two women fought.
“She’s not going to win with that cuff on,” Xander observed.
Darian watched for a moment longer. Jenn was holding her own, even without her magic. But as a mortal, she’d tire faster than Claire, whose magic would continue to feed off the surroundings to keep her energized. Claire just had to keep on her feet until Jenn’s strength gave out. A few close calls made it more of a challenge, as Claire bounced back to avoid Jenn’s strategic strikes.
Xander was right. Darian had to interfere before either was killed. He had unfinished business with both women, and he wasn’t about to let Jenn fight a battle she’d lose.
His surprise wore off, replaced by cold rage that rose from deep within him.
“I don’t have time for this.”
Darian strode forward, Xander forgotten as he focused on the two women. The tip of Claire’s sword sliced Jenn’s collarbone, freeing the necklace. Jenn ducked a second strike, and Claire snatched the necklace from the ground with a triumphant smile. Darian saw the fury cross Jenn’s face, and her next strikes were fast and hard enough they might’ve given her the upper hand she needed.
Darian snatched her sword arm to keep it from falling. Claire was in the surf, her own sword just out of her reach but the necklace clenched in her hand. She scrambled up, ever the actress, and smiled at him as if this was any other day before the Schism.
“Go to Yully,” he said to Jenn with firmness even she wouldn’t challenge. Darian released her and stepped between the two women. Trust me, he added silently.
He felt Jenn’s pain the moment he stepped towards Claire. Jenn’s emotion was raw, and it reverberated within him. He knew that kind of pain. He was looking at the only person who’d ever caused it.
“It never pays to be the mistress, love,” Claire said to Jenn.
Darian motioned for his former mate to walk with him down the beach. Claire appeared pleased, and he couldn’t quite get over just how unconcerned she was with what she’d done to him.
“Did the Others or Watchers set this up?” he asked.
“What matters is that we’re here together again,” Claire replied.
Others, he told himself mentally.
“Have you missed me?” she teased. “I remember how we used to walk this stretch every night, before the Schism.”
Darian looked out over the sea. He’d always loved the teal waters that were neither too warm nor too cool.
“We’re not thirty feet from the pool where you used to make love to me,” Claire said. “You do remember, don’t you?”
“I remember everything.”
“They gave me a second chance. I was as much a prisoner to Czerno as you were. I never thought we’d be here again.”
Darian said nothing. He expected the sight of her to stir the storm within him. He was as calm as the sea.
“I don’t remember you being so quiet, love,” she said, looking at him finally.
“A lot has changed,” Darian replied. “I’ve come to peace with some things and am working towards peace on others.”
“You were always so strong. So much stronger than me.”
He glanced at her, taking in the face he’d fallen for so long ago. A tingle of regret rose from his quiet thoughts.
“Yeah,” he agreed softly. “I am.”
“We’ve both learned important lessons about ourselves.”
“What was yours?”
“To trust myself instead of the words of others. I was manipulated into doing what I did to you.”
“Betrayal’s a bitch,” he said.
“You weren’t the only one betrayed, Darian.”
“I didn’t earn my betrayal.”
“It’s done. We both learned and grew,” she said. “We have a second chance now to live as we should have before.”
He stopped walking to face her. Claire hadn’t aged since the day they met. Her fiery hair was darker than Yully’s, her eyes bluer than even Sofi’s. Her face was flushed from the fight with Jenn while her trim body was close enough for her breasts to rub his arm when she breathed in.
He’d wondered how he’d feel if he met her again, what he’d say. The possibility hadn’t existed before the trip to the underworld. He thought he’d feel anger and a familiar passion for the first and only woman he’d ever made love to. He felt nothing, except concern for those fighting guardsmen at the obelisk.
A sound from the direction of the fighting made his heart slow. Jenn’s scream. His mate was alive, but if the Others had it their way, she wouldn’t be for long. They’d been cunning by bringing Claire here to distract him. They meant to light the fuse on his emotions and power by taking what he cared for most. Maybe they wanted to use Jenn against him.
Darian held out his hand for his necklace.
Claire searched his face, trying to read him. She placed it in his hand.
“You forgive me?” she asked.
“I do forgive you,” he said. “I came here to bury the past and the immortal world.”
“I don’t have to be your past. We are, after all, still mated.”
He held up the necklace, gazing at the symbol that marked his lineage. His eyes went past Claire for a moment, to the dark figure waiting by the tree line. The look was enough for the forefather of all vamps to start towards them.
“I forgive you, Claire, but I don’t want you,” Darian said. “I have a new mate.”
“Darian—”
“I am, however, grateful I got to see you one last time. I don’t think I could’ve let go of you otherwise.”
“There’s no need to let me go.”
“Yes, there is. I made the mistake of not trusting my instincts when I met you,” he said. “I’m going to trust them this time. Right now, they tell me the woman I love is in danger, and you were meant to distract me so someone else could finish her off.” He started away from her towards the obelisk.
“Darian, wait—” Claire called.
“Farewell, Claire.”
He didn’t look back but tagged Xander on the arm as he passed. The vamp’s fangs were already showing. Darian jogged towards the obelisk and followed its tall form into the clouds with his eyes. The raw rage he didn’t feel walking with Claire unfurled within him, until he was sprinting.
Trust me. Darian’s words did nothing to soothe Jenn. She lowered her weapon, breathing hard from the battle in the soft sand. Darian stepped towards Claire. The traitor sheathed her weapons, and Jenn’s gaze went to the necklace in her hand.
“It never pays to be the mistress, love,” Claire purred to Jenn.
Darian motioned for Claire to walk with him, and they started down the beach. Leaving her. Darian clasped his hands behind his back, and Claire’s smile was both triumphant and sweet. They looked like two lovers out for a stroll, not enemies. Raw pain filtered through Jenn as they walked away.
Maybe they aren’t enemies. Jenn sucked in deep breaths, hanging onto Darian’s words.
Trust me, he’d said. Nothing else. And he hadn’t taken back the necklace.
She watched them until she couldn’t bear to anymore. Darian hadn’t even looked at her. He’d blocked the strike that probably would’ve killed the woman who betrayed him, saving her instead.
While the hole inside her grew, Jenn’s sense of duty returned. Darian told her t
o find Yully. Jenn forced herself to move, hurting more from the wound inside than all those outside. Xander watched her approach, seemingly at ease while the world went to shit around him.
“Where’s Yully?” Jenn asked.
“Obelisk.”
“Take this shit off.” She held out her arm.
He complied, touching it. The cuff fell away, and magic flooded her. At once, her body felt energized where she’d been drained before. Her extrasensory gifts returned. She still felt raw on the inside, but she could fight.
“Good luck,” Xander said, not looking at her.
His dismissal felt permanent, and she hoped whatever business he had with her, it was now done. Jenn glanced up at him. His eyes were on the two walking down the beach, his arms crossed, as if he waited for something. She trotted away from him up the beach towards the marble obelisk that rose out of the orchard. Her hands shook as much from emotion as the returned magic in her blood.
She didn’t let herself think. She ran hard, spotting Yully and Charles fighting back-to-back at the base of the obelisk. The beautiful Magician sparked with magic that rippled through her body and shot out through her knives as she deflected and attacked the guardsmen. Yully’s hair blazed like a fire, her skin as pale as the obelisk. Something seemed off about Charles, but Jenn didn’t have time to place what. She launched into the melee, fighting her way towards the two with brutal ferocity borne of emotion.
She couldn’t get the image of Darian and Claire out of her head. Jenn closed her eyes, reveling in her freed senses and allowing her instincts to guide her. Sweat and tears ran down her face. She fought harder to keep the pain inside her from winning.
Suddenly, there were no more swords falling. Jenn opened her eyes. She slung her head back, filling her lungs with air. She was coated in blood, the metallic scent heightening her blood lust. A glance around revealed the carnage: twenty guardsmen.
“Ye possessed?”
Jenn snorted and swallowed hard. She faced the two. Yully appeared as uneasy as she sounded while Charles licked his lips at the blood around them.