Ascension Series Boxset: Books 1 - 3

by Laura Hall

  And I knew, in my gut and in my heart, that what in the moment had felt like a promise had in fact been a goodbye.

  This once, for me to remember forever.

  “No,” I said softly. “He’s not.”

  Three

  We drove through the day and into evening, each of us doing shifts behind the wheel. Our only stops were for gas and food. Cutting across the northeastern corner of Oregon into Idaho, we skirted Boise and Twin Falls before veering southwest toward Nevada.

  Rosie had stopped driving mid-afternoon. This time, she was in a city recognizable the world over: Las Vegas. To my surprise, she checked in at one of the larger casinos with a reservation for four nights. My next glimpse of her was poolside, enjoying the Indian summer and a margarita. Either she was taking a mini vacation, or had nefarious plans in the city.

  As sunset bled across the sky, bathing the desert in fiery streaks, Mal and Katrina napped in the back seat while Ethan drove and I kept him company. I was bone tired but afraid to sleep, both because Connor might be waiting and because he might not be.

  Ethan asked a lot of questions. About my dad, growing up in Los Angeles, and even my brief career as a Statistician. He was especially curious about what it was like being an only child—the Accosi family, based in Boston, was enormous and tightly knit.

  He also revealed that Katrina was his cousin.

  “I can’t believe it,” I said for the third time. But now it seemed obvious, explaining both their professional connection and sibling-like familiarity. They even looked a little bit alike.

  Ethan smirked. “Neither can I. She’s the only Accosi who came through Ascension a shifter. The rest of us are mages.”

  I stared at his profile. “So you believe the theory that family genetics played a role in Ascension?”

  He nodded. “I had a chat once, years ago, with Dr. Grantham. He was pretty convincing.”

  I gaped. “Dr. Ascension?”

  Ethan chuckled softly. “He hates the name, but he does deserve it.”

  Dr. Aloysius Grantham was the world’s foremost geneticist. A professor at Oxford prior to Ascension, he’d been knighted five years ago for his service to the advancement of science. Specifically, his work identifying the genetic mutations of each supernatural species. He’d given up teaching after Ascension and now ran his lab full-time, rarely leaving its confines. He hated the press, never granted interviews, and kept his own Ascension a closely guarded secret.

  “Are the rumors of his power true?” I asked.

  “Promise you won’t sell the information? I had to sign a nondisclosure agreement before I could even be in the same room with the man.”

  “Seriously?”

  He chuckled. “Yes. He’s a paranoid weirdo, though brilliant to be sure. And yes, he’s an Opal Mage.”

  “He’d have a freaking field day with me, then.”

  Ethan’s expression darkened. “He’s not the only one, Fiona. There’s a lot of chatter about you right now. The FBI is very interested. There are others, too. Specialized interest groups. Private defense firms.”

  “Katrina’s bosses?” I asked.

  He glanced at the back seat, then nodded shortly. “She’s the lesser of a lot of evils.” He sighed. “I could kill Connor Thorne for doing this to you.”

  I turned to watch the arid landscape streak past. “It was bound to happen someday, one way or another. My power was outgrowing Mal’s spells. Without Connor and Adam’s intervention, I might have hurt someone. My uncle or my dad, or someone at the bar. Maybe Katrina.” I paused, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Actually, nothing’s changed.”

  Ethan grunted. “It was still irresponsible to take you to that gala, exposing you to the press and the chaos. If you didn’t possess such willpower, it would have been a disaster.”

  Though I agreed with him, I sent him a pointed glance. “You’re throwing stones, really?”

  Even in the dimness, I saw him flush. “I had no idea the spell was going to do that to you. I also didn’t expect you to be as powerful as you are. Your mother . . . She’s very good at manipulation. “

  “And she was working for Prime Kilpatrick, like you were?”

  “Not exactly. I’m pretty sure my involvement in your, uh, awakening, was a personal favor to her from Kilpatrick.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Personal, huh?”

  His gaze darted to me and back to the road. “Yes. They’ve been close for a few years.”

  It made sick sense, especially if her blood tasted as good to vampires as mine did. With her precognition she was also a valuable asset, and was probably using it to her advantage. I wondered if, had Connor not been involved with Gabriella, my mother would have angled for his bed.

  Self-serving bitch.

  “Adam said she’s been off the grid for years, that no one has seen or heard from her. How did they not know she was with the Southern Prime?”

  Ethan shrugged. “It doesn’t surprise me. The Primes are highly territorial and collecting secrets is sort of their specialty. Especially Kilpatrick.”

  “What’s he like?” I asked, forcing my thoughts away from Delilah.

  “Stodgy. No sense of humor. Wears a lot of black and fancies himself a model vampire. His favorite power to show off is transmuting into a bat. But he’s also deathly afraid of dogs, which is why his Alpha is a werelion.”

  I barked out a laugh, then slapped a hand over my mouth, glancing back to make sure I hadn’t woken Mal and Katrina.

  “Are you for real? That’s not how he’s portrayed in the media.”

  He arched a wry brow. “Since when does the press tell the whole truth?”

  I snorted, settling in my seat with a shake of my head. We drove in silence for the next half hour, each of us lost in thoughts. Mine were a depressing jumble—I missed Declan’s warm affection and Adam’s brotherly ichor. I even missed Tabby’s incessant chatter. Sadly, the three of them were the closest I’d had to friends in fourteen years. It was all I could do to not check in on them periodically.

  As for Connor, he was strangely easy to resist spying on. I couldn’t say why, exactly, but when the urge hit something always stopped me. Maybe I didn’t want confirmation that I was merely a blip on the timeline of his ancient life. A life that, after my leaving and last night’s dream, had returned to normal.

  At length, Ethan said softly, “I’m surprised you haven’t asked why your charge doesn’t affect me.”

  I gratefully escaped my dark thoughts. “Why doesn’t my charge affect you?”

  He grinned. “It’s a potion. Pill form. I take it once a day.”

  “And it gives you cipher immunity,” I said wonderingly, then frowned. “But . . .”

  “Exactly,” he said with a wink. “Better than a cipher. All magical power, not just vamp, shifter, and mage.”

  As the implications settled in, I said softly, “You could make millions.”

  “I could, but I’m not interested in selling. I won’t lie, initially I was looking for a defense against alchemy. Something to tip the scales in our favor. But a potion like this . . . too easily, it could fall into the wrong hands. No one except the three of you know the formula is complete.”

  Once again, my opinion of him climbed. “How on earth did you develop it?”

  “I’m loathe to admit it, but the Liberati gave me the idea with their method of extracting ether from the blood. One drop from each species was enough for me, though.”

  “How did you get my—” I began, then scowled in understanding, “my mother gave you a drop.”

  He nodded. “Genetics won the day.” His gaze landed heavily on my face. “I wasn’t sure her blood would suffice, given she doesn’t have your lightning. At least it answers the question of your Ascension, whether it was circumstantial or genetic.”

  “Genetics,” I echoed. Connor’s words floated to the surface of my mind: Nor can we know the secrets Delilah keeps. “Wait . . . How did Delilah’s blood offer you protectio
n from my lightning?”

  Ethan was quiet for a long moment. “If you were born with your gift, Delilah likely developed antibodies while pregnant. Otherwise she might not have been able to carry you to term. I never asked, but as your mother she’s probably immune to you as well.”

  A queer humming filled my ears. If what Ethan said was true, and my lightning wasn’t from Delilah and it definitely wasn’t from my dad, then . . .

  “No, no, no. Fuck, no.” I swiveled in my seat to stare at my uncle. He was awake and watching me with sad eyes. “Mal?” I breathed.

  He nodded.

  My heart broke and my arms flashed with heat. I cried out in pain and shock.

  Mal yelled, “Pull over, now!”

  Ethan cursed and swerved across three lanes, thankfully free of cars, before grinding to a stop on the highway’s shoulder. I tumbled from the car, limp-running until asphalt turned to dirt. I kept going, whispering, “No,” until my voice was choked with tears and the light from the road was replaced by starlight.

  I finally hit my knees, bringing my hands to the earth just as my charge reached its peak. The ground pulsed hard, three times in quick succession. Dirt, rocks, and shallow plants geysered into the air. There was a two-second reprieve, then gravity asserted itself, raining debris against my hunched back.

  I took the pain as my due and kept my palms to the rumbling ground until the last of my charge was gone.

  Four

  As I neared the car, I heard Katrina say to Ethan, “She generated an earthquake. I can’t keep this information to myself.”

  “Yes, you can,” he growled back. “This is her life we’re talking about. Where’s your conscience, Kat?”

  She growled in frustration and spun, stalking down the shoulder of the highway.

  I made my way to Mal’s side, feeling numb, a passenger in my own body. Mal didn’t look so great himself, his eyes bloodshot and anguished. I tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace.

  “I know you have questions,” he said softly.

  “Not right now,” I said dully and met Ethan’s troubled gaze. “Adam was right. I’m undisciplined and dangerous. Every time I have a strong emotion, I lose my shit.”

  He frowned. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’d like to see the Omega try to control an elemental force.”

  I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose against a looming headache. “There’s got to be a way for me to safely expel my charge when I’m triggered like that.” I looked up. “Know any Zen masters who can teach me meditation?”

  Mal murmured, “That’s not a bad idea, but it might have to wait.”

  “I actually have an idea,” said Ethan slowly. “It’ll take a stop in Salt Lake City. We’ll lose a day, but it might be worth it.”

  “Fiona, it’s up to you,” said Mal.

  I stared at Ethan. “You really think you can come up with something that works? No offense, but Adam failed and he’s an Opal.”

  Ethan grinned. “Sometimes it’s more about finesse than raw power. Adam can bulldoze his way through almost any spell, but there are times when a picked lock and stealth can achieve the same results, without the collateral damage.”

  My brows lifted. “Former vocation as a burglar?”

  He chuckled. “No, but I did grow up with five older brothers. I was the smallest and had to learn to be quick and quiet.”

  I eyed his substantial height. “I can’t say I want to meet your brothers.”

  Katrina, having returned from her walk, said softly, “They’re a bunch of oafs.” Ethan stared hard at his cousin until she sighed. “I didn’t make the call.”

  Something intangible passed between them, and Ethan finally nodded. He turned his attention back to me. “We’re about three hours outside Salt Lake.”

  “What’s in Salt Lake?” asked Katrina.

  “Alisande Salvator’s private school, and the materials I need to make Fiona gloves.”

  I finally fell asleep about a half hour before we arrived at Alisande’s school, pretentiously named the Opal Center for the Gifted. Waking back up was not a pleasant affair, and neither was the prospect of entering the lair of the Opal Mage.

  Despite Ethan’s assurances that Alisande meant me no harm, I’d reached my quota of strangers I trusted. Besides, as I saw it, she’d played a role in this mess by encouraging Connor’s belief that I was some sort of savior for dead girlfriends.

  There was also a chance I didn’t like her simply because she seemed friendly with my mother.

  Okay, it was a large possibility.

  The sprawling, ranch-style estate outside Salt Lake was beautiful, even in the cover of darkness. Despite the late hour it blazed with light, highlighting elegant archways and graceful columns. Ethan parked at the end of the drive, just outside the main entrance.

  Over massive oak doors, a placard read scientia est potentia. Knowledge is Power, if I wasn’t mistaken.

  “There will be a lot of magic inside,” Ethan said. “Are you going to be all right?”

  I shrugged. “Mages’ auras are more disorienting than anything else. I don’t feel them as intensely as I do vamps and shifters.”

  He glanced at Mal worriedly. “Active spellcasting is a little different.”

  “She’ll be fine,” said my uncle. “Adam and I have both cast in her presence.”

  Ethan didn’t seem convinced, which made me squirm a little. “What’s really bothering you?” I asked.

  He ran fingers roughly through his hair. “This isn’t like the Prime’s compound. There aren’t the same rules of conduct and privacy governing the students here.”

  “You think someone will leak my location,” I guessed, “and we’ll pick up a trail of government bad guys?”

  “The FBI aren’t bad guys,” mumbled Katrina. I shot her a sharp look, but she avoided it, rummaging in a bag at her feet. “Put these on.” She tossed me a beanie and a scarf.

  I tucked my hair under the woven cap and wound the scarf around my neck to hide any stray hairs. Claustrophobia mounting, I looked at Ethan, who was trying to keep a straight face.

  “Don’t,” I warned.

  He smoothed his smile with a palm. “Er, you look great.”

  I punched his arm.

  Mal sighed and opened the back door. “Time’s wasting, children.”

  We piled out of the car and walked to the entrance, Mal and Ethan in the lead and Katrina bringing up the rear. Before Mal could raise his hand to the gaudy brass knocker, the doors swung inward.

  An extremely tall, painfully thin man regarded us from piercing dark eyes. He was anywhere between fifty and eighty, with smooth, delicate skin over hawk-like features, and thin dark hair. He wore all black, and emerald light wreathed the floor-length cloak around his narrow shoulders. Heavy rings adorned each of his fingers, and a huge, silver pentacle hung from his neck.

  “Malcolm Sullivan and Ethan Accosi,” he said, voice as wispy as his hair. Before either man could reply, his eyes snapped to me. “Did you truly imagine a hat would camouflage that?” He pointed a finger behind us, and we all turned.

  The sky was ridden by clouds, bellies simmering with flashes of electricity. I was pretty sure they hadn’t been there a minute ago.

  “There’s a storm following me?” I breathed.

  “Looks that way,” murmured Katrina.

  “You’d better come inside,” said the mage. “The premises are heavily warded, which will hopefully dampen your disruptive nature.” The words weren’t said in an accusatory tone, but I still flinched. Ethan squeezed my shoulder, which earned him an assessing stare. “Mr. Accosi, your reputation doesn’t do you justice. Have you reconsidered our offer of a position?”

  Ethan scowled, looking every inch a pissed off, uber-powerful mage. Violet light sparkled around him, high enough in voltage for the others to see. I wasn’t sure what was ruffling his feathers, but the sudden change in his demeanor was enough to put me on guard. Mal and Katrina were likewise affected, their sh
oulders stiff and gazes wandering, like any moment an adversary might jump from the shadows.

  “We can leave,” I said sotto voce.

  Ethan shook his head, eyes clearing as they met mine. “No.” He looked back at the mage, gaze hardening. “As Robert here knows, I’m not a big fan of private magic schools that cater solely to the privileged.”

  The Emerald took a swift step back and cleared his throat, expression shuttering. “Fiona Sullivan, my name is Robert Ingle,” he said, offering me a wary nod, then stepping aside to allow us entry. “Please, be welcome to our retreat.”

  We entered an artfully rustic foyer with slate floors and a lofty, beamed ceiling. Mal shook hands with Robert, who thawed only slightly, then introduced Katrina as our associate. I stared at the stormy sky outside until the doors swung closed.

  Five

  “We’re here to see Alisande,” said Ethan bluntly. “Where is she?”

  Robert’s eyes flickered to me. “She’s overseeing a guest lecture at present, but she’s been expecting you and won’t mind the interruption.”

  Ethan stiffened beside me. Lack of sleep and borderline emotional insanity made me slow to catch up. Then it hit.

  Alisande was expecting us.

  “Delilah,” I growled.

  “Is she here?” asked Mal darkly.

  Robert shook his head, expression impassive. I made a mental note never to play poker with him. “We last saw her months ago.”

  Katrina muttered, “I’ll never get used to that.”

  I could relate.

  Mal spoke into the tense silence, “Let’s not keep Alisande waiting.”

  Robert gave an ironic nod, then strode away, black cloak swirling in his wake. We followed him down a long hallway, past a series of nondescript doors, then down a flight of shallow steps.

  Mal stayed close to our guide, peppering him with questions. There were eighty-seven mages currently in residence, twenty of them due to graduate in spring. Without quite coming out and asking, he charmed Robert into unwittingly revealing the true purpose of the school. Nothing so noble as building leaders of the next generation—here, lower level mages paid an exorbitant sum for Alisande to determine their magical potential, and for a team of Emerald and Sapphires to guide them to the next levels of power.