“No,” she whispered.
“Jelena?” The deep, sleep-laden voice called her name as arms reached for her.
Jelena looked over to see Uriah stirring next to her. She palmed his face, a sad smile gracing her lips.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Uriah pulled at her. She allowed herself one more brief moment in his arms before whispering softly, “I have to go.” Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his cheek. “I am sorry, Uriah.”
Uriah sat up, his eyes studying her. The endless pools of melted steel searched for understanding. “Why are you sorry?”
“For so many reasons, sweet Uriah.” She brushed her fingers over his cheeks. “Stay the strong, noble warrior I know you to be.”
“Jelena, stop. What is going on?”
“I have to go, and you don’t need me here. Let Bain help heal what is still broken. I must go.”
Jelena pressed a kiss to his lips. Lost in the feel of her soft mouth, Uriah was unaware of what she was doing until he felt nothing but air against his face. His eyes popped open to see Jelena had disappeared.
Despair infused him. They may have been asleep in the same bed, and he may have held her many nights since his return to the Middle World, but this was their first kiss and somehow it felt like it was destined to be their last.
Stay the strong noble warrior I know you to be.
Her words echoed in his mind. He wasn’t sure he was still a warrior at all. Shucking the sheets, Uriah moved to the tall mirror that sat in the corner of his room, turning so his bare back reflected in the dim light. The skin was smooth. Healed to the naked eye. However, as he called forth his wings, burning pain blasted his body, nearly sending him to his knees. It was what happened every time he let his wings free. The scent of charred feathers and flesh settled into the room as he used his magic to call forth the things that proved him to be a warrior.
Smoke still rose from the singed feathers, which had once created an impressive set of wings. No longer able to handle the pain, Uriah pulled his wings back into the safety of the magic that cocooned them under his skin. The searing pain subsided instantly, and Uriah fell back to his bed. Whatever was causing the constant fire on his wings was magic that even Jelena’s blood couldn’t heal. If an Immortal Sister couldn’t fix this, how could Bain?
It was some sort of block, some kind of magical resistance; somehow, his body was fighting the magic that should have healed him.
Chapter Nine
Cree sat with narrowed eyes as he listened to Evan. The vampire was on his last nerve. Too much was happening and the damn arrogant Master Vampire was holding back. While waiting to hear from Lothar, he was informed that Esperanza was missing. Now the vampire was telling him that yes, he’d spoken with Lothar, but that he had left with one of his vampires and was unsure of where they had gone. It was pure fucking bullshit that he had no time for.
“You want me to believe that Lothar flashed out of here with one of your vampires, but you don’t know where they went?”
“That’s what I said. Now, can we get back to why I called you here in the first place?”
“I am guessing it has something to do with them.” He gestured towards Sergio and Syna.
“Yes, he made it clear that we needed to tell you about Syna, and what we’ve been up to regarding the Dark Fae.”
“Regarding the fucking drifters we’ve spent the last few months searching for,” Cree corrected.
Evan dipped his chin. And Cree suppressed a growl.
“To be honest, I am fed up with this shit. I want to know where my warrior is. Now,” Cree said dangerously.
Evan sighed. “I told you I don’t know where they went.”
“Not good enough—who did he leave with?” Cree demanded.
Evan didn’t want to mention that it was Holly, who apparently found a trigger for her flashing power. Evan had tried to reach out to her, tried to call on the sire connection they shared, but as far he could tell, she had dropped off the face of the earth. Panic had briefly overwhelmed him when he couldn’t find her, but something told Evan he would know if Holly was seriously hurt, or worse... dead.
“It matters not who he left with, trust me.” That was a flat-out lie, and Evan knew it.
“It matters to me,” a stern feminine voice called out from the entrance to Evan’s office.
All eyes fell to the beautiful Light Fae leader who stood royally in the entrance.
“Rowan?” Cree said her name with confusion. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She and the others were trying to track down where Esperanza had disappeared to. “What are you doing here, love?”
Rowan smiled genuinely at her husband. “I want to know where Lothar is and what secrets Evan is keeping. I am tired of getting the runaround. It seems our people no longer fear their leader. So let me make this very clear,” she said, pinning Evan with her steely gaze. “I and I alone decide if you and your coven stay here. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, I will send you back to the Middle World, in silver cuffs, for an extended stay in my dungeon. And if for some reason that does not strike fear in your heart, let me make one other thing clear… if anything happens to Lothar, I will gladly hand you over to Darion. The Light is done playing games and catering to the will of those who no longer respect us.” Rowan took a seat next to Cree as she finished and waited expectantly.
Evan seemed to see the resolve in Rowan’s features. Turning to Sergio, he said, “Close the door, this stays between us.”
****
Sergio dropped into one of the tall barstools at Red Oasis, a bottle of top-shelf whiskey in hand. He hadn’t taken a sip yet, but he was sure the bottle would be empty by the end of the night. The meeting with Cree and Rowan had lit his fear over everything that was currently happening. Thankfully, the club was closed and he was mostly alone, aside from a few of his coven members, who flitted around preparing for the night. Sergio groaned as he felt Evan’s arrival, before he even heard the lightly accented voice call to him.
“Serg. What’s going on?”
Sergio reached over the bar to grab a bottle and two short glasses. He poured the dark whiskey and slid one of the tumblers aside as Evan took a seat next to him.
“You feel like talking about it?”
Sergio tossed a sidelong glance to his coven leader. “Not a lot to say.”
“There is plenty to say, Serg.”
“What the fuck are we doing to find her?”
Evan smiled. “I know you care a great deal for her, don’t forget that I do as well. But there is little I can do. I don’t know where she flashed to. I can’t connect to her, but I do know that she is alive.”
“Could she be in the Middle World somewhere? Maybe her disappearance wasn’t her magic at all. What if Darion has her?”
Evan shook his head. “No, it was her. I felt the rise of her magic, I felt her panic, and it triggered her dormant power.”
“What if she’s in trouble?”
Evan shook his head before taking the half glass of top-shelf whiskey down in one swig. “You won’t want to hear this and I am sorry, because I know how deeply you care for her. But as long as she is with Lothar, she will be protected and safe. He loves her… and she has always loved him.”
Sergio studied Evan before finishing off his drink and then settling his gaze back on the bottle.
“I’m sorry, Serg. Do what you need to do to deal with this, but I need you back at the compound and back as the vampire I have always valued as my second in command.”
Sergio nodded. “Give me this night to drown my pathetic ass in whatever the bar has to offer.”
Evan cupped Sergio’s shoulder, but remained silent as he squeezed it in what he hoped gave some semblance of reassurance. Evan watched as Sergio poured another glass of some of the club’s best liquor, swirled the dark liquid, and then took a long gulp. Evan left knowing there were no words that would make either of them feel better. He flashed back to the compound and threw himself back
into the work that awaited him.
Chapter Ten
“Look,” Holly yelled over the wind that whipped her hair into her face.
Lothar dropped lower to eye the massive waterfall. It was the first real break in the foliage they’d seen. Taking that as a hint that there were likely no answers to be found from above, Lothar glided to the soft ground just beyond where the waterfall filled a large pool with clear water, which eventually moved on to the ocean by way of the slow-moving river.
Holly pushed her hair from her face and grinned at Lothar. She had no doubt she looked a mess. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Her hair smoothed and pulled back into a long, wavy ponytail. Her clothes changed from the tight and wet jeans she’d been wearing while working at the club to a pair of shorts. Her plain black tee morphed into a pale pink halter-top. Lothar studied the strip of perfect skin that was left exposed by her choice in clothing; a small, silver belly ring glinted in the sun. The small piece of body jewelry had him wondering what else she was hiding. Her content sigh had his gaze lifting to her face and her still-closed eyes.
“Much better,” she hummed and finally graced him with her beautiful, amethyst eyes.
Lothar grunted as he stared at her.
“What? It’s hot and wet jeans are uncomfortable.”
Yes, because that was why he was grunting.
“I know,” Lothar said bemusedly, running with her train of thought.
“I can try conjuring you up something else to wear.” She smiled as she eyed him.
Lothar shook his head. “Save your magic. My clothes are nearly dry.” He pulled at the still-damp fabric of his long-sleeve Henley before shrugging and pulling it over his head. It was nearly dry, but the island was muggy and made him feel uncomfortable.
Holly watched the movement as Lothar grasped the hem of his shirt and began pulling it up his torso. The fabric had been tight to begin with, but the water had made it cling to his sculpted frame. Holly was caught in the golden skin that met the sparse rays of sun. His skin glistened, and his muscles flexed with every movement. A throat cleared, and Holly lifted her eyes to meet Lothar’s amused gaze.
“Did you hear a word I just said?”
Holly grinned at him. “I was distracted.”
Lothar chuckled. “Then let’s try this again… Based on the sun, I would guess we’ll be spending the night. We need to find some shelter.”
“Yeah about that, are you sure you can’t fly us back to civilization?”
Lothar shook his head. “I don’t know where we are, so I don’t know which way to go. We could end up hundreds of miles off course, and I can’t fly that far while carrying you anyway.”
Holly bristled at the comment. “Well, that carried some rude implications.”
Lothar laughed at her. “Well, you are crazy if think I was implying that you are too heavy because that was not what I meant, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you know that.”
Holly smiled. “Well, yeah, but seriously, you should not say shit like that to a female. As an empath, I would think you would know better.”
“Perhaps if I wasn’t blocked to you, I might have known better,” he mocked.
Holly smirked. “Perhaps. Well, we should check behind the waterfall.”
“Why?”
“Because, in all the books and movies, there is always a cave behind the waterfall that ends up providing protection and shelter to the weary travelers. Can you handle the load that is my frame and fly us up there to see if we can find the mysterious cave?”
Lothar shook his head and grabbed her. He then proceeded to throw her over his shoulder and head for the face of the waterfall.
****
Jelena burst through the door of the archives in her and her sisters’ home. Meriah and Acacia’s eyes lifted from the death scrolls, panic falling from the jade depths they all shared.
“Who is it?” Jelena demanded.
Meriah shook her head. “It’s changing every second.”
“What’s happening?” Acacia asked.
“Moirai was breeched—someone has found the Island of the Fates.”
“It’s not possible.” Meriah’s denial was adamant.
“Of course it is,” Jelena chided. “It’s been foretold.”
Acacia’s eyes widened. “It’s not time. It can’t be.” Tears began to fill her eyes as she stared at her sister.
Jelena nodded—she wasn’t ready for it either. She wasn’t ready to fade to the abyss. What became of her and her sisters upon their deaths was beyond her scope of knowledge. All she knew was that if the Middle World fell to the ice, she would fall to her destiny.
She and her siblings were born of the Fates. They took their place as overseers of the afterlife and caretakers of destiny—which really meant they sat back and left free will reign. When Olympus fell and the Fates faded, the Immortal Three and their brothers rose to power, taking the Fae in their care and giving over the Middle World to their children. Some of the ancients still remained and fell under their supervision as well, but the Gods were long gone, having given in to time, and were reborn into the Fae. The parting wisdom the Fates gave was a warning of loss and pain—that after the battle of the Middle World was blanketed in white, taken by ice and snow, the Immortal Three would become two—the eldest of the triplets would succumb to her destiny.
Chapter Eleven
Bain surveyed his childhood home. Nothing had changed much in the hundred years since he’d last stepped foot inside its hallowed walls. There were sacred memories hidden inside. Memories that had once made him smile, but since losing his little sister, he could simply bear them no longer. Even when Rowan took the throne as leader to the Light, Holly had refused the invitation to follow them in their move to the palace. She wanted to remain where she could still find pieces of their father. Bain got that; their father adored Holly. Sighing, Bain grasped the door handle that led to Holly’s room. Pushing it open slowly, he was met with the room of a child—still young and innocent. This room had served as hers until she was around twelve, at which point Rowan had left to live with Cree and had offered up her room to Holly. It had been a fight with their mother. She seemed to strive to make sure Holly received the bare minimum. He smiled slightly at the memory of Rowan putting their mother in her place.
“I fail to see why it matters. Is it not still my room?” Rowan had asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous, of course it is.”
“Then as such, I decide what happens with it. Holly is a growing girl who you do very little for. She needs something other than a lavender room filled with stuffed animals and flowers.”
Esperanza had glared but dropped the subject then.
“The past can be a nagging bitch when it rears up on you,” Kale said, a knowing hitch to his tone.
Bain turned and nodded. “She was just a kid”
Kale chuckled. “In your eyes, yes, but most of us saw her for what she truly was.”
“And what was that?”
“A young woman desperate for something meaningful.”
“She had her family.”
Kale shook his head. “No, she had a cruel mother, a very protective brother, and a busy sister.”
“She’d still be alive if I had truly done my job as her brother.”
“I doubt that. Ask Lothar, he was the one who truly knew her pain. I think he even loved her.”
Bain nodded solemnly. “I know he did… I was the ass who told him to keep his fucking hands off her.”
Kale laughed, “Like I said, very protective. For what it’s worth, as far as I know, he did keep his hands to himself.”
“I protected her from the wrong man and sent her running into that bastard vampire’s arms.”
“You can’t do that, big guy. What happened with Holly was not your fault.”
“It sure feels like it.”
Uriah entered the front of the house then. He looked worse than the last time Bain had seen him but at least he had lef
t his room, which was a pretty big surprise.
“Hey man, what’s going on?” Bain asked, finding a lighter feeling come over him. Uriah was out of his God damned room.
“Rowan left for Vegas. She asked me to come see if I could help.”
“You up for it?” Kale asked.
Uriah nodded. “I am of little use hiding in my room. There were vampires here.”
Bain growled. Why was it vampires? Every time he turned around lately, it came back to fucking bloodsuckers.
Uriah almost smiled, his lips on the verge. “If I had to guess, they flashed Esperanza out of here, but to where, I don’t know.”
“Or if she went willingly,” Bain added.
“You think she hired them to get her out of here?”
“Wouldn’t put it past her.”
“What do you want to do now?” Kale asked.
Bain shook his head. There was little he could do at this point; there was no trail to follow, no signs of a break in, no neighbors to have seen anything. Esperanza was in the wind somewhere.
“Head back and see what Rowan has to say.”
They left the house, and Kale and Bain both freed their wings. Uriah stood but made no move to follow.
“You coming?” Kale asked.
“I think I’ll walk,” he said as he passed them and headed down the dirt road. “It feels good to be outside.”
“We’ll walk with you, brother.” Silence fell over the three brothers as they made their way to Rowan’s study.
Entering the castle, they made their way straight to Rowan’s study. She lifted her gaze to their entrance and stood. “What happened?”
“Vampires,” Bain answered. “And I think it’s time to have a word with Darion.”
Rowan looked to Kale and Uriah, who stood close to the entrance. “You two agree?”
Kale and Uriah both nodded.
Rowan shook her head. “Can you control your anger if I allow you to attempt an audience with Darion?” Rowan stared at Bain, her gaze never wavering as she questioned him.
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