by Tamara White
“And the worst thing is, hearing you say that Britt doesn’t love you guys anymore, that made my heart soar. I know it shouldn’t, but I can’t change the way I feel, no matter how hard I’ve tried. There are so many things at play here and I feel like I’m drowning with all the unanswered questions.”
He watches me with calm eyes as I speak, but I can sense the presence of my guys behind the curtained window so I know they’re listening as well. “Can we please just be friends who kiss every once in a while? I know that sounds weird, but this craving is so strong, I don’t even want to think what will happen if we ignore it. I don’t want to be out in public if something similar to what happened back at Nik’s place occurs, okay?”
At that moment, Linc pops his head around the corner of the open door with a grin. “Can you guys come back inside so we can all speak?”
I nod over at him and Blaine takes my hand. He leads me back into the suite, making sure to close the door and curtain behind us. These curtains are most definitely blackout ones for sure, because the moment they’re closed, the room is cast into darkness, except for the light from the fireplace.
Torie flicks on a light switch near the kitchen and the chandelier in the middle of the room illuminates the suite. We all take a seat on the huge ass couches spread out across the room. Blaine sits down with me, his hand still in mine, while Linc takes the spot on my other side.
Dev and Nik squeeze into a loveseat, and I have a sudden vivid image of climbing into their laps and taking my turns kissing them, before the three of us moved on to other, more exciting things. Lincoln growls close to my ear and I jump, realizing he can smell everything since he’s so close to me.
Shit.
“Uh, sorry about that.” I clear my throat, unable to hide the tinge of pink on my cheeks.
Blaine looks confused, glancing between Linc and me, trying to figure out what just happened. “What did I miss?” he asks cluelessly.
Dev laughs from across the room. “Emerald’s arousal flared. We scented it in the air and with Linc being so close to his mate when she became aroused, well, he got a little excited too.”
“So what did you bring us in here for?” I inquire, quickly changing the subject to the reason why we’re in here in the first place.
Dev sobers and turns to Nik with a look I can’t decipher. Nik sighs and leans forward, his gaze worried. “We, and by we, I mean, Linc, Dev, and I agree that Blaine needs to be a part of us.”
I frown, not sure what the hell he’s talking about. “What do you mean by ‘a part of us?’”
Dev fidgets in his seat, not liking the narrowed glare I’m sending their way. “Well, after everything that’s happened and with how you needed an energy recharge at Nik’s house, we wanted to propose that he be part of our harem, or whatever this type of relationship is called. He can help you in ways we can’t, and besides, it’s clear to the three of us that you have feelings for him.”
I open my mouth to speak, but Linc beats me to it. “And yes, we have factored in that it might be nothing more than magic causing these feelings. How it happened doesn’t change the fact that it did happen.”
Nik hurries to pick up the conversation, as if they don’t want me to speak and shut them down. “Britt has expressed more than once she wants you to spend more time with the guys now that she has blood oathed you together. She wants you to form a bond with them and knows exactly what might happen by doing so.
“Besides, if things get to the point they did at the house and we aren’t enough for you yet again, then you could very well die. And without the soul-tie with Talon, none of us has any idea if you’ll come back from that. We would rather add someone we consider a great friend to our arrangement, than risk you dying.”
I stare at Nik and Dev, floored by their words. It feels like they’re giving me everything I want and more, but why now? Is it just the fear of my death fuelling their words?
I turn to look at Lincoln, wondering how he feels about this whole thing. “And you’re okay with this too? We only just met, but you’re willing to give up potential time getting to know me in order to share me with Blaine too?”
He nods and I get to my feet, pulling my hand from Blaine’s. I start to pace across the room, trying to think. When I stop, my eyes lock on Blaine. “What do you think of all this?”
He looks over at Torie, Kellan, and Meron, who all seem to be just as entranced by the conversation. Meron looks over at me, his eyes darkening with whatever emotion he’s feeling. “Emerald, did you mean it when you said you could feel the urge with me too?”
I frown, wondering what that has to do with anything, but I still answer. “Well, yeah. I’m surprised you haven’t zapped me with your magic from how close I’ve been getting. I walk by and feel the need to try and brush against you, and it takes all my willpower to resist. But why does this matter right now?”
He gets to his feet and holds out a hand to me. “Do you mind touching my hand?”
I back up a step, confused when he advances. Blaine leaps to his feet and puts a hand on his friend’s chest to stop him from moving forward. “No, don’t do this now.”
“Do what?” I ask, trying to figure out what exactly is going on.
Kellan stands up, his eyes meeting mine from across the room. “We all crave you, Emerald. Like I fucking ‘want to dive across the room and touch you’ kind of craving. The night Britt was taken, Blaine told us the two of you had talked and that he touched your hands for the spell. After that, his craving disappeared.
“But then later, when you needed him, the urge to reach you became so overpowering for him, it was like trying to cage a beast. He went crazy trying to figure out how to get to you so he could help. He only calmed when you spoke in his mind. We have a theory. The cravings go away with a touch, but then when you need us, it’s like we can sense you. We feel driven to help you, like magic is binding us together. Even now, I’ve started to feel your emotions just as I feel Britt. Before, she had been the only person to get past my empathy shields. But now, when I concentrate, I can feel you right there beside her in my mind.”
I stumble back a step, and Blaine and Meron are both there to catch me before Dev or Nik even have a chance to move. I gasp at the speed with which they moved. “How the fuck did you guys run that fast?” I demand, on the verge of full-blown panic. I thought they were just witches, but the speed with which they moved was not witch speed.
Torie moves closer, a sheepish expression on his face. “Well, we’ve also noticed some other things. When we can sense you’re in trouble, or hurting, our protective abilities kick in. We can move faster, our magic is stronger and we can sense exactly where you are. That’s not all though,” he adds, just as I go to open my mouth to ask him to stop speaking, because I feel like my head is going to explode from the new information. “We also seem to be craving raw meat.”
I try to speak, but my mouth feels dry. My heart is beating frantically, like it might fly out of my chest at any second. Nik, however, seems to get what I want to ask. “What does it all mean? Do you guys have any idea why this is happening?”
“We have an inkling, but we need to get specific texts from the French vampire queen’s library to confirm it.” The worry in Torie’s eyes reflects just how I feel. He wants to steal from the vampire queen?
“Which texts?” Dev wonders dubiously.
Blaine sighs, before pulling me onto his lap. This time, I don’t even hesitate before burying my head in the crook of his neck. “There’s a prophecy about Emerald. In it, it lists who will be with her in the final battle.”
Sixteen
Hidden Secrets
Emerald
Nik and Dev look ready to murder their friends, and I feel the tension rising as the silence continues to fill the room. As for me, I’m just shocked by his words and don’t really know what to say.
A moment later, when I open my mouth to ask what the hell this final battle they’re referring to is all about, Nik and
Dev lunge across the room at them.
Instinctively, I raise my hands and with a wave of magic, send everyone flying back.
I get to my feet and move to the middle of the room. Turning in a circle, I glare at each of them in turn, my hands forming into fists as my anger controls me.
“If you guys don’t get your shit together, I’m going to knock you all out and go look for Talon on my own,” I threaten, my words directed mostly at Nik and Dev. They know I’ll do it because they can feel my emotions through our newly reformed bond. I don’t want to go out on my own, especially without knowing the city, but I will if they’re all just going to act like a bunch of children.
Linc gets to his feet and approaches me slowly, holding his hands out in a sign of peace. I don’t try to stop him, knowing he’s just wanting to steady me because even as I stand here, I’m still a little wobbly.
What the hell is going on with me lately? I’ve felt drained of all energy ever since we landed here. And despite getting that refuel from Blaine before we left, I can feel myself weakening. I just don’t understand why. Could it be that the magic I’m using is just that powerful? It doesn’t feel that way, though, not in comparison to what happened when we got Britt back from that alternate dimension.
Linc grabs me as I start to tip forward and scoops me up into his arms. I lean my head against his chest as he walks me back and sits down, placing me beside him on the couch. Who knew the big bad Alpha wolf had such a sweet side?
I kiss his cheek lightly, then turn my gaze, and ire, to Blaine. “Now, you are going to sit down and tell me what fucking prophecy you were talking about and why you think I’m in it, or I will use my telepathy to dig around in your mind and get the information myself. Understand?”
He sighs in defeat before plopping down on the floor in front of me, as do Torie, Kellan, and Meron a second later.
I watch as each of them takes turns reaching out to touch me, whether it be the bit of ankle showing from between my jeans and socks, or reaching up to squeeze my hand. It’s weird, but I can see what they were talking about. Once they let go of me, it’s like they just got a hit of some kind of drug. I admit I, too, feel a little high myself. Like all of a sudden I’m complete.
The only one who remains touching me, though, is Blaine, and he’s gripping my hand pretty firmly like he doesn’t want to let go.
Maybe it is just a side effect of the magic, but just to be sure, we need to talk to another witch and figure out what’s going on with us. After all, I can’t go around with all four of them touching me constantly. It’s bad enough with Nik, Dev, Talon, and Linc being bonded to me. I know vampires and wolves are all touchy, even though I never really experienced that with my old pack. But they are also territorial and while the guys have been relatively good so far, I’m sure sooner or later they’re going to get sick of sharing me. Even if it hasn’t gotten further than this. There is only so much of me to go around.
Nik and Dev are both sitting on my right, and I turn to stare at them with a raised eyebrow. “Are the two of you over whatever it was that prompted you to try and attack your friends?” I inquire sweetly.
“Em, they kept this prophecy that involves you from us! We had every right to be angry!” Nik growls, looking at Meron and the others with murder in his eyes.
I sigh and place a reassuring hand on his thigh. “I get that, sweetie, but killing them wouldn’t have achieved anything. All your little spat did was exhaust me,” I say, giving a yawn for emphasis.
Nik turns his gaze to me, his eyes filled with guilt. He studies me intently for a moment before his lips pull down in a frown. “Maybe you should go to bed. We can talk about this when you wake if you’d rather? I don’t want you staying up if you’re in need of rest.”
I wave his concerns away, while also using the gesture to cover another yawn. “It’s fine. I want to hear more about this prophecy and why they think it involves me. After that, I’ll sleep for the next three days. If I left right now with all these questions, I doubt I would be able to get any sleep at all.”
With a defeated sigh, Nik turns to Blaine, his eyes still blazing. “Talk,” he demands, his tone leaving no room for discussion. Clearly, he wants answers, and he wants them now.
I do too, but I’m just too depleted to put much effort in. Part of me wonders if I should call Britt. I mean, she is part of this prophecy too, right? She must be, she’s my best friend.
Meron sits up straighter, his gaze on me rather than Nikoli. “Right, well it all started when we were going through Dastian’s books after we killed him. Apparently the reason he was so determined to make what he called his super soldier was because Merlin had a vision. Now, I’m not sure what you know about him, Emerald, but Merlin was one of the greatest witches to ever live. He was able to see glimpses into the future and could wield magic the likes with which nobody has seen since. Well, until you that is.”
I nod along as he explains, but freeze at the last part. Is he saying my magic is as strong as Merlin’s? The mythical wizard who was said to have aided King Arthur? No, that can’t be.
“So, anyway,” Meron continues, oblivious to my train of thought, “we came across Merlin’s vision journal amongst the books Dastian had in his collection. There was one vision in particular that we were all drawn to.”
“Including Britt,” Torie chimes in. At that, Meron lets his friend take over and I turn my attention to Torie. “The vision was written in detail, and while I don’t remember it quite as well as the others, I know it spoke of a being made of three species of supernatural that would decide the fate of the world. Also, this being would be the key to ending the final battle. But it didn’t specify what this battle would be about, or when it would take place.”
“So, you don’t actually know what the final battle is or even if the prophecy is really about me then?” I surmise, as nothing they’ve said, apart from the bit about the person being of three species, has really applied to me. And even then, technically, I’m only a cross between two species, just with the blood of the third mixed in.
Blaine clears his throat, drawing all of our attention. “A being born of two species, yet made of three, will be born into the world when the age of darkness begins. She will be stronger than any of the three species on her own, and a thousand times stronger with her guardians by her side. When grief hits her hardest, she will choose. She will either side with darkness or she will rule with light. Whatever she decides will determine the outcome of the final battle.”
As I stare at Blaine, goosebumps erupt all over my arms and my vision starts to blur. The words he spoke had power to them, a strange pull I’m quickly succumbing to.
“Guys?” I mumble as a drumbeat pounds loudly in my head. “Something’s wrong. My head feels fuzzy.” My voice comes out slurred, the words barely recognizable.
I tilt forward and almost immediately, a pair of hands grab me. I lean to the side, throwing up all over the floor. I’m held by someone, even as I lose the contents of my stomach.
“My stomach hurts,” I groan, curling in on myself. My vision is blurry, but I can scent Devin close by, so I’m guessing he’s the one holding me.
“Nikoli, I smell hemlock in her vomit. It’s subtle, but it’s there.” Linc sounds panicked, so I know it must be bad.
“Give her to me,” Kellan demands.
Then I feel myself moved from Devin’s arms into Kellan’s. But I know what’s coming. I’m dying. Even now, my heart is starting to slow.
“Tell Britt I love her and to save Tal for me,” I slur, my head lolling to the side. I try to focus on the guys, wanting to let the last thing they hear from me be something that brings them comfort. “I love you, guys,” I mutter, before my eyes close for what I know is the last time. Without all my soul-ties completed to hold me to this world, my life is over.
Seventeen
Lover Scorned
Talon
I lean against the railing that overlooks our training facility and gaze
out at the trainees, scrutinizing each of them in turn. Maria brought me here for one reason, and that’s because her guards are shit. None of them know anything but the basics when it comes to defense. If they were to face off against a shifter, witch, or even another vamp in combat, they would most likely die. The only thing they have going for them are their natural abilities, and even those are pretty pathetic.
“You expect me to turn all of these idiots into warriors?” I ask Maria, sure she must be messing with me.
Her lips thin and she glances my way angrily. “Each of these men have been hand picked by me and trained by those you brought into our fold, but no one could ever replace your skills, which is why I brought you here. I need your assistance.”
“Do you know how long it’s going to take to get them in shape? It would take years for them to reach my level and I would like to get back to America and to my progeny at some point. They will surely miss me.”
Maria looks me over and I know I should fear the glee I see in her eyes. Anything that makes her that happy can’t be a good thing.
“Well, I have news for you, my dear Talon. I heard your progeny followed after us. Actually, so did the woman you were once tied to. I made sure she was taken care of, and soon I imagined Nikoli and Devon will be at my door, begging to join us now that the little nuisance has been dealt with.”
My face pales at what she’s insinuating. “You killed her?” I gasp, my sorrow overwhelming me.
She waves a hand dismissively. “Oh, it was easy with the help of a little hemlock laced chocolate that was hidden away in her bag.” Maria glances over at the clock on the wall behind us and I find my gaze following hers. “She should be dead right about now, actually.”