Inevitable Darkness

by Cassandra Lawson

  Vexx laughed. “You love planning out every aspect of your life. You’re a control freak, Jase.”

  “Yeah, I am,” he agreed. “But I’m trying to make some changes.”

  “Does this mean you don’t want to have sex with me to get this out of our systems?” she asked, sounding disappointed.

  “Do you honestly think one time will do the trick?” he asked.

  “Probably not,” she admitted before looking to her side. “Winn’s coming. Can we talk more about this later?”

  He wanted to tell her no because he wanted more time with her. They were finally getting somewhere, and it felt like she was running again. Then an idea came to him. “I’m going to talk to your father.”

  “About what?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “Us,” he replied. “If we’re going to try your idea, we need to do it somewhere else. I can’t keep running out here to see you. I’m going to talk to him about you visiting me, possibly staying a few days because, Vexx, one time won’t be enough.”

  Not waiting for a response, Jase walked off, trying to decide the best way to convince Cord that Vexx should spend more time with the lynx clan.

  Chapter 18

  Winter’s eyes were on Jase’s retreating form as she approached. “What is Jase doing here?”

  “He’s lost his mind,” Vexx replied with a shrug as she dropped her sewing in the basket and stood. “I need to go for a walk.”

  “I’ll join you,” Winter offered as she gestured to the wooded area. “We can stay in this area, so Cord doesn’t give you more sewing.”

  “You’d think I’d learn my lesson with as much as I hate sewing,” Vexx muttered.

  “I’m not sure it’s possible for you to do what your father wants,” Winter told her. “I keep telling him he needs to find new standards for you, and he tries. Honestly, he does. It’s not easy for him.”

  “I know,” Vexx agreed. “Sometimes, I think it would be best if I went to stay with the witches for a while. I’ve always taken breaks from the clan by staying with the Sisterhood of the Shade. While I never truly feel like I belong there, visits with my mother’s people are good for me. I come back with a new appreciation for what my father has to deal with. Full witches are far more impulsive than I am. Other than those few in leadership roles, they’re exhausting to be around for long.”

  Winter smiled and reached out to squeeze Vexx’s hand. “You don’t have to tell me. I’ve met a few witches. You’re not all that much like them, despite what others might think. You’ve also settled down a lot in the last year. Why haven’t you gone to visit the witches?”

  Vexx shrugged. “It’s mainly got to do with Mitchell. Is it crazy that I feel such a connection to a vampire I haven’t known very long?”

  Winter shook her head. “I feel it, too, and I know he feels a strong connection to us. Mitchell knows a lot more about our future than he wants to share.”

  “I still don’t understand why we’re all so connected, but ever since we created that portal to the jaguar land, I feel like I need to be close to both of you,” Vexx explained. “At least, my father doesn’t mind me going out with you to meet Mitchell.”

  “He minds,” Winter stated. “He just understands that we need to do this.”

  Vexx stopped and breathed in deeply. Vampires were in the cougar territory. She knew Mitchell was with them, though not by his scent. Her connection with Mitchell’s magic allowed her to sense when he was near. Breathing in again, she recognized the other vampire immediately.

  Her father wasn’t going to be happy. While he had no issues with Mitchell, he didn’t like Abram, something Vexx understood. Before speaking to Abram alone, she’d thought he was a danger to everyone around him. He was dangerous, but there was more to him than met the eye.

  “We need to go see my father,” Vexx told her before changing directions and heading toward her father’s home.

  “Why do you look so worried?” Winter asked.

  “Mitchell is coming,” Vexx began.

  Winter nodded. “Yes, I sense his magic.”

  “Abram is with him,” Vexx added.

  They were standing no more than twenty feet from her father’s home, so he naturally heard them, having just stepped out the front door. “Why the hell is he on my land?” her dad growled as he stalked toward them.

  Jase followed him out of the house, looking just as annoyed by Abram’s presence.

  “I don’t know,” Vexx replied with a shrug. “I came here when I scented them. It seems they had a good enough excuse to get past the perimeter guards.”

  Winter spoke before Cord could say anything on the subject. “Mitchell is with him. I think we can trust Mitchell.”

  “He’s a kid,” her dad growled.

  “With good judgment,” Winter shot back. “You like and trust Mitchell, or you wouldn’t care so little about Vexx going out to meet him even when I stay behind.”

  Her father nodded and laughed. “You love fighting with me, don’t you, Winn?”

  “Only when I’m right,” she replied.

  “Which is always,” Vexx said under her breath.

  “Do you want to end up on sewing duty for the rest of your life?” Cord’s lips twitched.

  “Vexx loves to vex you,” Jase replied for her. He was smiling but not with amusement.

  Vexx didn’t have time to identify his strange expression.

  “We should go out to meet them,” Vexx told them.

  Cord looked at Winter and Vexx. “Maybe you should stay behind. I’ll bring Jase and some enforcers with me to see what they want. Abram is dangerous, and I don’t trust him.”

  “I’m more dangerous than Abram could ever hope to be,” Winter reminded him. “Vexx is also more dangerous, especially when she can touch on Mitchell’s power. Or are you saying that the poor females are too weak to deal with the big bad vampire?”

  “I’m glad I don’t have to answer that question,” Jase stated.

  “It’s two vampires,” Vexx argued. “Mitchell is more than that, but he’s also our friend. I’m sure we don’t need a contingent of guards to meet with Abram.”

  Cord nodded and started walking. They met Abram and Mitchell a short way into the wooded area. No one said anything until they were a few feet from each other.

  “Cord is not happy about you bringing a friend,” Winter told Mitchell, her eyes shifting briefly to Abram.

  “I’m not happy about Abram breathing,” Jase growled from close by Vexx’s side. His eyes were on Abram, and Vexx saw the anger. Jase’s mood didn’t surprise her.

  Mitchell shrugged. “I’d planned to come out here alone, but I needed to talk to Abram first. He insisted on coming with me, and I didn’t have a way to warn you we were on our way here.”

  “I didn’t like the idea of Mitchell wandering around alone,” Abram added, his gray eyes cold.

  “I need to talk to you privately,” Mitchell told Winter and Vexx. “Maybe we should go inside.”

  Several guards had followed Abram and Mitchell from the time they’d entered the cougar territory. They stood back, waiting for Cord’s orders.

  Cord nodded at the guards. “You can go.” His attention returned to Mitchell. “You’re surrounded by shapeshifters. They can hear every word you say from any of our homes.”

  Mitchell smiled and asked, “Is there somewhere we can pretend everyone around can’t hear us? I want the illusion of privacy.”

  “My place,” Cord replied before turning and walking away.

  “Don’t mess with Cord or Jase,” Mitchell warned Abram quietly.

  “Why does everyone think I’m going to mess with people?” Abram asked.

  “Because you’re an asshole,” Cord called back.

  “Because you have a death wish,” Jase added.

  “Good points,” Abram agreed with a nod before he started to follow Cord.

  Vexx felt the heat from Jase’s body the entire walk to her father’s home. He was so close that his
fingers brushed against her arm a few times.

  When they were in Cord’s home, Mitchell began his explanation. To his credit, Cord said nothing. Jase only cursed under his breath a few times. As for Vexx, she’d had so many unusual things happen to her in the last year that none of it shocked her. Before Kishara had tried to kill Winter, Vexx had never even met a demon, much less expected to come face-to-face with one. Now, she wasn’t the least bit surprised by Mitchell’s story.

  Her life had certainly changed since her death.

  Chapter 19

  Jase didn’t like the idea of helping a half-demon who’d been partly responsible for Vexx’s death. None of the excuses made for her behavior changed Jase’s feelings about Kishara. “Why should we help her?”

  Vexx, surprisingly, still stood by his side. He’d expected her to put more distance between them once they reached Cord’s home—maybe stand by her father.

  “That’s a good question,” Vexx agreed. “Kish may be your cousin, Mitchell, but you don’t know her. Why would you even consider doing this?”

  Mitchell took a deep breath before continuing. “I had several dreams after Legion left my place last night.”

  “Visions?” Winter asked.

  Mitchell hesitated, looking to Jase and Cord as if not sure how much to reveal.

  “Yes,” Mitchell finally admitted.

  “Are you sure?” Jase asked. “I don’t doubt that you’ve had visions in the past, but isn’t it possible that you were thinking about Kish after Legion’s visit, and she was the focus of your dreams?”

  “It’s possible some were just dreams,” Mitchell agreed. “Some weren’t. They happened while I was awake. I hate calling them visions because it makes it sound like I can see into the future.”

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Cord asked. “Winn told me about a few of your visions, and it sounds like you can see the future.”

  “And the past,” Jase added.

  “Sometimes, that’s what I see,” Mitchell agreed. “Usually, I see different possibilities for outcomes. In this case, I watched loops of possible outcomes. Not everything is clear. I wish it was because I’m not sure what to do with Kishara once we get her away from the jaguars.”

  “But you think it’s imperative that we get her away from there?” Winter asked.

  Mitchell nodded. “If we don’t, people will die. Every jaguar will die, and people here will die. My father will use Kishara to destroy people, but I don’t know how or why.”

  “Who will die if we don’t help her?” Jase demanded.

  “He can’t tell you,” Vexx answered for Mitchell. “When people die in his visions, all he can tell you is how he feels about the death. If he feels grief, then the person was close to him.”

  “And helping Kishara will stop these deaths from happening?” Cord asked.

  “I don’t know,” Mitchell admitted. “It’s never that simple. There’s tragedy ahead if we don’t help her, and there’s tragedy ahead if we don’t bring her back here. Once we get her back here, everything is a huge blank. I went through countless scenarios of hiding her all over the world, and they all end in loss and death.”

  Jase blew out a frustrated breath and closed his eyes. He opened them and turned toward Vexx when her hand landed on his forearm. She flashed him a comforting smile. “The first few times we discussed one of Mitchell’s cluster visions, I thought my head was going to explode.”

  “Cluster visions?” Jase asked.

  “That’s what we call it when he has a bunch of them in such a short time, and they all show different outcomes,” Vexx explained. “It doesn’t happen often, and they don’t always involve any of us directly.”

  “This is all completely fucked-up.” It was the first time Abram had spoken since entering Cord’s home. He was standing by the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

  “People dying is fucked-up,” Jase agreed.

  “I mean that it’s fucked-up that Mitchell has to deal with all of this shit,” Abram corrected him. “I’d lose my mind.”

  Mitchell laughed and shook his head. “It’s safe to say you’ve already lost your mind.”

  Abram chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “I don’t like any of this,” Cord muttered. “We may be even more screwed if we help the demon.”

  “All we know for sure is that we’re screwed if we don’t help her,” Abram stated. “It seems like a no-brainer. Sure, it’s risky. Maybe we’re even more fucked if we help Kish. That’s the only outcome we don’t know, and I’m in favor of that option.”

  “You’re also crazy,” Vexx pointed out. “In this case, I agree with you. Mitchell knows what he’s doing.”

  Mitchell laughed and shook his head. “No, I don’t know what I’m doing. This is all new to me, but I feel like this is the right thing to do.”

  “What if Legion is messing with your head?” Jase asked. “He’s a demon. What if he is putting these images in your head to manipulate you into doing what he wants?”

  Everyone was silent as they considered Jase’s question.

  “I don’t think it’s Legion,” Mitchell said hesitantly. “They felt like the other ones I’ve had. I also didn’t tell Legion about my visions.”

  “Maybe all demons have them,” Cord suggested.

  “This is what we get for not having a demon expert on hand,” Vexx muttered.

  “I think we should trust Mitchell’s instincts,” Winter stated. “We could sit around all day trying to figure out if his visions are accurate or not, but we have no way of knowing unless we want to play the wait-and-see game. I’m not interested in doing that. I’m still not sure we can pull this off. We’ve only managed short portals together since we took Kishara back to the jaguar land.”

  “I’ve been holding back,” Mitchell admitted.

  “Why?” Vexx sounded irritated. “We’ve been working hard to figure out what we can do, so I don’t see why you’d hold back.”

  “Cut him some slack,” Abram snapped. “Mitchell’s had to deal with a lot of shit recently. He’s not always sure how to control his power, so it’s only natural that he’d be hesitant to use it. He only recently learned about his demon side, and he’s had no one to talk to about it. I say fuck you to anyone who wants to judge him.”

  They were all silent as Abram’s words sank in. Jase wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d come from anyone else, but Abram wasn’t exactly a nice guy. He got why Abram had traveled with Mitchell. It made sense since he was allied with Connor. Mitchell also had a way of making people care about him. He was a good person, regardless of his genetics, and even a dick like Abram couldn’t find a reason to think poorly of Mitchell.

  Vexx took a deep breath and nodded before moving closer to Mitchell and placing a hand on his forearm. Jase felt oddly jealous, even knowing her connection to Mitchell was innocent. “Sorry,” she told Mitchell. “I’ve been sewing.”

  Mitchell nodded as if that explained everything, another indication of the bond they shared. “It’s okay. I get why you’re frustrated. You’re right about me needing to be more honest with you. Believe it not, I’m frustrated, too. I can’t always control my power, so it scares me. The smaller portals I can make on my own aren’t always predictable. That’s how I’ve been sneaking out to meet you. I also accidentally opened a longer portal, but I have no clue how that happened.” Mitchell continued with a sigh. “I’m trying to suppress my demon and Fae abilities as much as possible. When I need to leave the settlement, I have no trouble tapping into a small piece of that magic, but other times, it frightens me, especially after I saw what Kish is capable of. I don’t want to be responsible for horrors like that.”

  “You won’t,” Abram assured him in a gruff tone.

  “How do you know that?” Mitchell asked. “There’s no way of telling what I’ll do. I don’t even know what all my abilities are yet.”

  “You have a pure heart,” Winte
r assured him.

  “She’s right,” Vexx agreed. “You’re one of the few good people I know.”

  Mitchell shook his head.

  “Don’t argue,” Abram told him. “You not only see the good in others when there isn’t any good, but you make them long to be better people.”

  “Are you talking about yourself?” Mitchell asked with a slight smile.

  “Who the hell else would I be talking about?” Abram grumbled. “No one else in here is fucked the way I am.”

  “He could have just as easily been talking about me,” Winter argued, her hand falling away from Mitchell’s shoulder. For a very long time, Winter had lived a solitary life. She’d focused entirely on preserving the environment at any cost and had shut down her emotions. That hadn’t been easy considering her shapeshifter genetics. Shifters weren’t known for being cold or for controlling their emotions. Despite her coldness, she’d never killed without good reason.

  Cord slipped an arm around Winter’s waist and pulled her close, nuzzling her hair in a gesture of comfort. “None of us are perfect, even Mitchell. You all make him feel uncomfortable when you put him on a pedestal.”

  “Thank you,” Mitchell replied quietly.

  “What exactly is your plan?” Cord asked.

  “I’m going to stop suppressing my magic so we can bring Kish back here,” Mitchell replied. “Not here specifically. She’ll stay with Abram until I come up with something better.”

  “She shouldn’t stay there,” Vexx told him. “There’s no way this will go over well with Connor. My father doesn’t want her in the area either. No one wants her here. Having her stay on Treasure Island will only create more problems for Abram.”

  “Where else can she go?” Mitchell asked. “I know this isn’t a permanent solution. Legion knows that, too. I’m sure he’s thinking of another place to hide Kish.”

  “Are you certain of that?” Winter asked. “You know very little about Legion. He showed up before to ask for your help with his sister, but he’s done nothing for you.”

  “Is it possible that having her close to you will make it easier for your father to track her?” Vexx asked. “I’m not sure how it works with demons. With witches, our energy is easier to trace in groups, unless the coven has strong protection spells.”