by Rye Brewer
Once we were both a little calmer, she wiped her eyes on her sleeves. “Well, at least you’re happy now. That means so much to me. I can know that while I’m here, doing what I have to do.”
“It was a simple ceremony, in Avellane,” I explained. “And with everything that’s going on, it seemed there was no better time. I don’t know when we’ll be together again.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on? Are you in trouble?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s clan business, you know how things can be. Nothing for you to worry about.”
She nodded slowly. “I see. It’s easy to forget about the clans, now that I’m here.”
Easy to forget about Scott, too, since she didn’t ask about him. But then that had clearly been over by the time of our epic battle. It was the reason we’d battled to begin with, really, since his little temper tantrum over seeing her with Stark had brought attention to our presence on the island. I still felt a shudder of disgust when I remembered how he’d conducted himself.
Wherever he was, I hoped he was getting his head screwed on straight.
It was time to change the subject. “You look so well, so strong. I was worried for you, about where you were getting blood. Do you not need it anymore, now that you’re, you know, an elemental?”
She shifted in place, which was something I’d see her do too many times to ignore. She knew I might not like what I was about to hear.
“Well, Elewyn knew I needed blood, and there were so many prisoners here…”
I gulped. “You drank from the prisoners?”
Didn’t Elewyn care about breaking the rules set forth by the League? Then I remembered who I was thinking of. No, she didn’t care one bit.
Sara shrugged. “Only until she kicked them off the island.”
I gulped again, my eyes widening. “She freed the prisoners?”
“She no longer wishes to run this island as a prison,” Sara explained, shrugging as though it meant nothing to free witches and warlocks who had committed crimes. Granted, the Senate had been bent on imprisoning me on the island for a minor infraction, but that didn’t mean everyone in a cell had been as innocent as I was.
“So that was why everything seemed so quiet out there,” I mused. “There’s no one in the village.”
“Right, because all of the families of the prisoners left when their loved ones did.”
“It’s just the two of you here now?”
“For now,” she nodded.
I was more confused than ever. “So… how are you getting the blood you need to survive?”
She pressed her lips together. “She allows me to drink from her. Her blood has helped me become more powerful than I ever could have imagined. I’m healthier than ever before, too. I’ve never felt so alive.”
I didn’t know why this troubled me so. The image of my sister drinking that witch’s blood…
Then, I remembered what Branwen had said back at Hallowthorn Landing. Elewyn never helped anyone unless there was something in it for her. With a sinking heart, I asked, “What are you giving her in return?”
She looked surprised. “How did you know there was anything to be given?”
“A hunch,” I whispered. “What is it?”
Her gaze dropped to the floor. “Her condition was that I leave Stark.”
I gaped at her, waiting for her to say something that might cushion the shock. She offered nothing further. “And you accepted her conditions?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Her head snapped up, eyes burning into mine. “I have a goal, Anissa. And if I’m going to achieve that goal, I need to make sacrifices. It’s all for the greater good.”
This was a turn I had not expected. I sputtered, searching my thoughts, collecting myself enough to ask, “What is this goal of yours that it’s so important?”
“To eliminate the Order of Starkers,” she whispered.
It wasn’t her statement that chilled me, but rather the intensity of her stare. She seemed to burn from within, and her aura pulsed with fresh energy.
“I’ve had dreams,” she whispered, clutching my hands. “Dreams in which the Starkers killed vampires. Killed my family. Horrible dreams, too terrible to describe.”
“But they’re only dreams,” I murmured.
“Are they?” She glared at me. “What if you’re wrong? What if they’re prophesies of what’s going to happen?”
“Do you believe they are?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know whether they’re prophetic or not, but do you want to take the chance of waiting to find out if they are? I know I certainly don’t. I’m going to get rid of them, once and for all. They’ll never hurt any of us again. And in order to do that, I need to be as powerful as I can. If that means drinking Elewyn’s blood and absorbing her power while training to hone my skills, so be it.”
“Even if that means giving up Stark?” I asked, skeptical. Almost wishing she would admit the pain the sacrifice meant to her.
“Giving up Stark?” His footsteps rang out through the room as he entered. “I couldn’t help but overhear.”
I winced, turning to face him. His expression gave nothing away, but his tone of voice was icy. “Is this true, then?”
Sara didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. He had already heard me say it, and she didn’t offer to take it back. I was embarrassed to be here.
“I hate to tell you this,” he continued, “but I was never yours to give away. And definitely not Elewyn’s.”
“I heard my name.” Elewyn swept into the room, as regal and dangerous as ever. Her eyes narrowed when she looked at Stark. “I wish I had known you were coming. I would have prepared something in your honor.”
“There’s no need for that,” he snarled. “I knew there was something behind this. I knew you had a plan in mind. Just once, I wish you would prove me wrong.”
She only stared at him in response, lifting her chin either in pride or defiance.
His head snapped around, his eyes finding me. “I’m ready to go. Say your goodbyes.”
“Yes,” Sara was quick to agree. “I think it’s best that you go. Anissa, you should go with him.”
She may as well have punched me in the stomach. I would have lost my breath either way. “Truly?” I asked, searching her face for some sign of what she was thinking. How could she behave this way? As though I meant nothing to her.
“Yes. Truly.” She took a step back, away from me.
“Come on,” Stark growled, taking me by the hand and taking us from the room, then out of the castle entirely. I had no idea what to say or what to think as he created a portal and led me through before I had the chance to protest.
Not that protesting would have done me any good.
Not that I even wanted to stay.
33
Stark
I should have known.
“What was that all about?” Anissa asked once we were back on the docks at Hallowthorn Landing.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, though I had my ideas. It wouldn’t have done her any good to hear them right now, however, so I left it at that.
She shook her head, her expression reminding me of a lost little girl. “My sister. She seemed… different.”
“Stronger?” I asked.
“Yes, and no. There’s something else.”
I nodded, turning to face to water. “Yes. I noticed it, too.” The fire in her eyes. A zealot’s fire. It was enough to chill my blood.
“I don’t know what to think. She’s so intense. Extreme, even,” Anissa mused, standing just behind me.
“Elewyn will bring no harm to her. You can rest assured of that,” I assured her, still facing the water. Unwilling to reveal the uncertainty which more than likely was written on my face. Though it wasn’t Sara’s safety that concerned me—Elewyn had to know I would never forgive her if she allowed harm to come to Sara.
It was uncertainty over so many other things.
“I think
I’ll go up to the fortress and see where I’m staying,” Anissa whispered. “I can’t make sense of her.”
“Do that. Get some rest. You’ll feel better when you do.” I waited until she was gone, and I was alone to turn my gaze toward the fortress. I’d wait until she was inside before returning. I needed time to think, fresh air in which to do it.
The real problem was one I never would have imagined—Branwen, and the feelings she had reminded me of. Feelings which had never died. They’d merely lived in a quiet, dark corner of my heart, waiting to be brought back to the forefront at the first sight of her.
I couldn’t forget the anguish on her face when I’d told her it was over. When she had guessed it was all because of Elewyn and I hadn’t dared correct her.
Her anguish had crushed me then and it crushed me still. It was all so pointless, the result of bitterness and vile prejudice. And one extremely ruthless warlock who was better off dead.
I walked across the wooden planks of the docks, my sights set on the fortress. Branwen was in there, undoubtedly, but I couldn’t avoid my home just because she was there. As much as I wished I could. I couldn’t avoid her forever, either.
Just as I could not avoid the comparison of the feelings I had for her with what I felt for Sara. What I’d thought I felt. She no longer seemed like the same person.
I kept going back to the fire in her eyes. Had I looked that way at the height of my mania? I must have—I’d certainly behaved with the intensity, the single-minded determination she exhibited. And Elewyn was taking advantage of that.
Just when I thought she could sink no further.
I’d climbed the wide staircase and was on my way to my chambers when Sirene emerged from hers. She held Elena in her arms, and both of them looked as though they’d been bathed and changed from the attire they’d arrived in.
I wondered how much longer the baby would fit into her cute little outfits if she kept growing at such a rate.
“You look unwell,” my sister observed with a frown. “Or unhappy.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, whispering so as not to disturb the sleeping child, then gestured for her to join me in my chambers for the sake of privacy. She sat at the foot of the bed, an expectant expression on her face.
“What are your plans?” I asked, sitting across from her. “Now that we’re alone, I feel we can speak more freely on this. I’ve already voiced my concerns.”
“You did indeed,” she agreed with a wry smile.
“And? What do you plan to do about the baby? About her growth? How will you sustain her?”
“I must admit, I have not been allowed the luxury of thinking past today, perhaps tomorrow,” she murmured, stroking Elena’s soft, plump cheek. “Everything has happened so quickly. The child was born, we both survived. I foolishly allowed myself to believe for a moment that we’d overcome the most difficult hurdle. I could not have foreseen this. And now, Fane is off, saving the world once again.”
“I know. I’m the one who sent him out to save the world. I told him Gage was in danger from the Starkers.”
She sighed. “Do you ever regret starting the Order?”
“Of course, I do. I only hope Fane will be all right, getting himself tangled with them.”
“I have faith he will be,” she smiled. “And he will help Gage, and then he’ll return to me. And our baby.” It was all so simple for her. She could rely on her faith, on the strength of their love. I wished I had her confidence.
“What about you?” she asked, suddenly changing topics. “What will you do now? Will you leave?”
“Why would I do that? I want to be here for you, for Elena.” I snorted derisively at myself. “After all, I’m the reason Fane had to leave you. I started the Order. How could I leave you now?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Branwen doesn’t think I know, but we both know I do. About the two of you. We’ve never discussed it, but I knew all along, and I can see from the way you behave around her that you haven’t stopped caring for her. I had assumed that since this was the case, you wouldn’t wish to be here and make things worse for yourself.”
I stood, going to her, taking the baby from her arms. “It doesn’t matter,” I whispered, staring down into the face of my sleeping niece.
34
Philippa
“I can’t believe how beautiful this is. I could cry, honestly.”
Vance slid his arms around my waist from behind, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “You’re not disappointed we didn’t go to Paris?”
“After seeing this? Not a chance.” It was enough to make my heart ache, the sheer beauty of nighttime in Monaco. Monte Carlo, to be precise. He hadn’t told me the apartment was actually in Monte Carlo, overlooking Port Hercule and the breathtaking waters beyond.
The sun had only just set, turning the sky lavender at the horizon which darkened to a deeper purple farther in. Tall, puffy clouds of indigo drifted through the sky over Mont Agel, off in the distance.
The marina was full of white boats which gleamed even whiter against the sapphire water, and the lights from the beachside hotels and restaurants, from the harbor and the boats themselves reflected off the water and dazzled me. The whole city seemed to shine and sparkle.
Just my style.
“See?” He pointed, still leaning over my shoulder. His finger traced a path through the bright streets below. “That’s where the Grand Prix is held.”
“Do they really drive through the city streets?” I asked, wondering how more people didn’t get killed.
“Sure. You didn’t know that?”
I snorted. “You may not know this about me, but I don’t pay attention to car racing.”
We both chuckled. No, I was much more interested in the nightlife around those parts—that, I knew about. It was infamous, after all.
“What about the casinos?” I asked. “And the nightclubs and parties?”
“I should’ve known you would be interested in that.” He spun me in his arms until I faced him, and I linked my wrists around his neck. “Here I was, thinking we could enjoy a little time together first. Just the two of us.”
“I thought that was a given.” I smiled then stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Yes, I wanted to spend time with him. I wanted nothing more than him. The rest was window dressing, icing on the cake. He was the cake.
And I wanted him all to myself. Greedy, perhaps, but I had earned the right to be greedy when it came to Vance.
I rested my cheek against his chest, still looking out over the dazzling scene. I could hear the life down there, the laughter, the horns from the boats and the cars alike. I could almost feel the rhythm of it all, or perhaps it could have been the beating of Vance’s heart beneath my ear.
“I promise, we’ll get to Paris,” he whispered, kissing the top of my head.
“Paris? What’s Paris?” I murmured, feeling dizzy and dreamy, as though I was in a fantasy come to life. “This is enough. I would like to see it again, yes. But this is more than enough.”
“I just don’t like what I’ve heard is going on there,” he continued, and I knew it troubled him if he felt the need to expound when we were wrapped in each other’s arms with a warm breeze caressing our skin.
I peered up at him to find him frowning. “The attacks, you mean.”
“Vampire-on-vampire,” he grimaced. “I can’t imagine who would do something like that, but we don’t need it. I’d do anything to keep you safe, even if it means locking you in this apartment and throwing away the key.”
“Hmm…” I glanced inside through the open doors, surveying the comfortable, spacious apartment. It rivaled the penthouse in Manhattan in terms of both comfort and size, tastefully decorated, full of top-of-the-line electronics and a refrigerator stocked with synthetic blood. “I assume you wanted that to come out as a threat, or that you expected me to be disappointed, but…”
He laughed, looking and sounding more and more like the old Vance all the time. I couldn’t des
cribe my relief at how happy he seemed, how carefree. He needed this getaway as much as I did, or more.
“I didn’t mention that I’ll be locked in with you,” he growled, holding me tighter.
“Again, am I supposed to be unhappy? Because that only sweetens the deal.” I chuckled, but that chuckle turned to a happy sigh as Vance kissed me again. And again.
Even as he was sweeping me up and away with him, the thought of my family lingered in the back of my mind. My brothers were spread out all over the place, all of them battling their own private wars. And I missed them. I wanted to help them, all of them.
But I couldn’t. I had to give myself permission to let them travel their paths while I traveled mine. I couldn’t be at their beck and call all the time, not anymore. It was time for me to find happiness like Jonah had with Anissa, and I finally knew where to start.
With whom to start.
Vance’s mouth skimmed my throat, sending shivers up my spine. “I hope your heart wasn’t set on going out tonight,” he whispered, his breath hot against my skin.
“What if it was?” I teased, my eyes closed. “How will you make it up to me?”
His chuckle was dark. Promising much, revealing little. “I have a few ideas.”
35
Cari
Waiting for them to wake up was a torture I never could have imagined.
Would they ever wake up? Had they gotten too much of the sedative, whatever it was? Or were they dosed too soon after the first dose, when all four of us had been injected?
I had no way of knowing how long I’d been unconscious, thanks to there being no clock anywhere nearby and no windows. All I could do was wait on that hard, cold floor.
And wonder.
How much should I tell them? They knew Gil was my father, of course. And the shackles confirmed that we were all prisoners. They would already know that.
Should they know about the plans for testing? What would it do to them? I didn’t want to make things worse—though, really, how much worse would I be making them? It hardly seemed like we were in a good spot, locked in some underground jail cell.