Absolution of Fate (Fate Series Book 3)

by S. Simone Chavous

  “What of the lab? Did you check inside?” Lucias yelled as his anger continued to rise, fueled by his confusion and frustration.

  “They wouldn’t leave it unguarded,” Captain Erikson interjected.

  “It could be a trick; an illusion to protect it so they could send their forces elsewhere! How did you not see this?” he screamed, grabbing Asana by the arms and shaking her with each word. “You become less useful by the minute,” he said, tossing her to the ground as he attempted to regain control. “Press forward to the building and check inside. The cure is there,” Lucias ordered and Mason knew better than to question him.

  “Perhaps we should leave; it may not be safe for you here out in the open, Lucias,” Christopher said, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder.

  “I will see what is inside that building with my own eyes and not a single man will leave here until I do,” he stated, his tone calm again; but his rage was a constant undercurrent, simmering just below the surface, waiting to be unleashed.

  “It appears you are correct, Sire. The building is sealed tight with what appears to be a highly-sophisticated security system. I didn’t attempt to enter and risk setting it off without talking with you,” Mason said when he returned through the swarm of infected.

  “Excellent,” Lucias replied before he sped off on the path through the center of his army. He stopped a couple of yards from the entrance to the building and the others appeared immediately beside him.

  Chloe looked around, recognizing the faces of many, if not all, of the humans she’d turned surrounding the area. Lucias’s plan had been to send them into the fray first, assuming The Elite would be lacing their ammunition with antiserum, the same as he had done with his virus. As she continued to take in her surroundings, she realized it was more than their faces she recognized.

  I’ve seen this place, she sent to Asana and Molly. Both women looked to her just as flashes of fire sparked from the darkness of the trees around them.

  ✧

  “We will hold until most of them cross,” Claesson whispered into his radio, though it was unnecessary with the veil produced by Martinez, which was being amplified and bent by the witches to cover the whole of The Elite forces; the infected wouldn’t have heard him if he’d shouted at the top of his lungs. The illusion that enticed Lucias to show up with his entire army was also courtesy of the witches.

  Right beside him, Cami carefully watched the first group that had run through the border of the spell as they waited. Something was off about them, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was.

  “Can you see Chloe anywhere?” Alexa asked Ethan. Cami looked at her brother as his green-gray eyes scoured the crowd and it hit her. Their eyes.

  “Commander, look at them, all of those men closest to the building; they’re not infected. Look at their eyes.”

  “Shit. It looks like there are at least a couple hundred civilians down there,” he responded, scanning row after row of vampires before he found a set of red eyes. “How the hell did he get that many civilians? I could see a few, but we would have heard about that number before now.”

  “We have to be missing something,” Cami said as the crowd started to part and they slowly advanced toward the old factory. A single man appeared and flashed around the perimeter of the structure before disappearing back down the path he’d cut through the men.

  “All right people,” Claesson spoke a little louder, wanting to be certain everyone could hear him loud and clear. “We’ve got friendlies at the front of the crowd, so save the antiserum rounds for the bodies further back. As soon as—” he stopped when Lucias appeared in front of the building, with Erikson right by his side. William growled at the sight of the man he’d once considered a friend. Alexa gasped, seeing Chloe behind him. Claesson turned to Alexa and the rest of her family as he released the button on his radio. “All of you hang back here until we draw most of the men back from the building. Lucias will want to stay close to cover and he won’t let her out of his sight.”

  They all nodded their understanding. Neither Alexa nor Ethan took their eyes off of Chloe.

  “On my signal, I want a layer of antiserum rounds laid down on the back half before we move. When you’re out of those, switch to silver. I Tranquilizers only from my position forward; we don’t want to risk hitting Chloe or the civilians, and keep the fire concentrated on the infected unless those civilians engage. Snipers hang back and continue with the antiserum rounds until you run out.” He looked at Cami. She nodded. “Ready, Fire!”

  Infected soldiers down each side of the formation fell as antiserum rounds cut through the crowd. The Elite rushed out from behind the veil, continuing to shoot as the infected started returning fire. The Elite, who managed to avoid the rounds whizzing by, reached the line, having to jump over the writhing bodies of the infected being cured as the gunshots slowed and the clang of steel joined the cacophony of the battle. With all of The Elite being vaccinated against infection, those who were hit with the virus- laced rounds retreated to the cover of the trees while their bodies healed before they returned to the fight.

  In the chaos and confusion, the unit of turned humans who had no training or experience in battle moved away from the action to surround Lucias and the others near the building.

  “Lucias, we should run,” Erikson said, taking his hand, “they will kill us all! Please, Lucias,” he begged, trying to pull him away.

  “No! This isn’t over yet!” he yelled, yanking his hand away. “What are you doing?! Attack! Shoot back into the trees!” he screamed at the newest additions to his army as shots continued to come from the darkness. They looked at him with eyes full of fear and uncertainty. Lucias rushed forward and grabbed one of the men by the throat as he glared around at the others. “I said attack!” he roared, throwing the man into the crowd. The others moved to the sides, some raising their weapons toward the tangle of bodies and steel while others aimed for the tree lines where some of The Elite remained, carefully picking off infected with antiserum rounds.

  “NO!” Chloe screamed, and every one of them stopped cold. Lucias swiveled to glare at her, his rage boiling over as he realized that the turned humans were bound to her, and everything he’d spent his life working for began crumbling down around him. Their loyalty to him had been a trick, no doubt a command she’d given them to help lure him into The Elite’s trap. A cruel smile appeared on his face at seeing Kaleb turn to Asana and Anna to carry out his last command. As quickly as it appeared, his smile evaporated when Chloe flicked her hands towards Kaleb and he fell to the ground.

  “Lucias, please! Before it’s too late,” Erikson pleaded again, trying to take hold of him. But Lucias was deaf to his pleas, and he zeroed in on Chloe as she knelt beside an unconscious Kaleb. It was all because of her.

  Chloe bit into her own wrist as she sat beside Kaleb.

  Asana, grab Anna and hold her as long as you can, Chloe sent before speeding over to the two women. She shoved her bloodied wrist against Anna’s mouth so fast the infected vampire barely had time to struggle before the first drops of blood wet her tongue. In a flash, Chloe was back beside Kaleb, and she cradled his head and pulled his chin down to let her blood drip into his mouth.

  Take Anna and leave, get as far away as you can. The cure is in my blood; just like my mother. You will be safe if you leave.

  Thank you, Chloe, Asana sent, before rushing off into the trees with her daughter.

  Kaleb began to stir and latched on to Chloe’s wrist, drawing hard on her vein before his red eyes popped open. Within seconds, the blue began to bleed back into his irises and Chloe smiled down at him.

  CHAPTER 20 - A Promise Kept

  Ethan and Alexa fought against every instinct to obey Commander Claesson’s orders, waiting with their eyes locked on Chloe as The Elite attacked. And then they lost sight of her as the crowd of civilians swarmed toward her and Lucias.

  “Just wait; there are too many of them!” Commander Claesson yelled, seeing what
the pair intended before they made a move. “Lucias will not risk her; she’s too important.”

  Finally the crowd shifted and she appeared again. They both let out heavy breaths of relief at seeing her, but their focus was pulled away when the civilians raised their weapons and aimed toward the trees where they were hiding. Claesson, Cami, and the rest of the family prepared to return fire, but they held, knowing that they were still concealed by the mist and had the cover of the trees; not wanting to injure the civilians if they could avoid it.

  “NO!” Chloe’s scream reverberated through the night air and they all watched with wonder as hundreds of vampires stopped cold and lowered their weapons.

  Still Ethan and Alexa watched and waited, while Chloe used her power on Kaleb before she disappeared from view again. “We can’t wait any longer!” Ethan yelled when Chloe reappeared. Though he saw his daughter go to his enemy’s son willingly, it didn’t stop Ethan from seeing red when he realized that Kaleb was biting her. Without a word to Alexa or any of his companions, Ethan flashed away, heading straight for them with every intention of removing Kaleb’s head for daring to touch Chloe.

  No, Daddy, Chloe sent straight into Ethan’s mind. He slowed at hearing her sweet voice for what felt like the very first time and then stopped completely when a flurry of images passed through his mind. I love him.

  Alexa, who’d immediately sped off after Ethan and sensing his anger and fear for Chloe, stopped when the same words and images passed through her mind. As she stood there, a band of infected cut through the civilians heading straight for Alexa, who was so focused on what she was seeing that she didn’t notice them coming. In an instant, Cami and Claesson were there and intercepted the group only a few yards from Alexa. The two Elite, while probably the best fighters in the entire force, were no match for five infected. Cami jumped back, swinging each of her twin blades up to block the blows of two infected, but they continued to press down, her arms trembling under the force of their power. She fell back when the two men went flying and quickly jumped back to her feet, seeing Jared and her father standing before the infected who’d nearly bested her. She pulled her sidearm and fired an antiserum round into each of them just as another shot rang out and one of the other attackers fell to the ground behind Claesson. She took aim again, sending her final round at the infected he was battling. He gave her an appreciative nod as the man hit the ground and the cure spread through his veins. Cami swiveled looking for Alexa and felt paralyzed when she realized that one of the men had managed to get by them. He was moving slowly, obviously injured, but she was out of ammo and too far away to reach Alexa in time. The man raised his blade and Cami cried out, the entire scene seeming to pass in slow- motion. Alexa turned just as the man flew back. Layla stood over him with her boot on his chest, pushing against the hole where a round of silver was still lodged, before she fired an antiserum round into his thigh.

  Feeling Alexa’s fear, Ethan’s head snapped around just in time to see Layla take the infected down. He sped to Alexa’s side, pulling her into his arms as he scanned her with his eyes. “Are you all right, Amor?”

  “I’m fine, thanks to Layla,” she said, sending the woman she’d once thought she hated an appreciative smile.

  Satisfied that Cami and her family were safe for the time being, Claesson turned to the main battle, ready to join his men in the fight, when he caught sight of Captain Erikson heading for the trees. He was tempted to chase after him, but before he could decide, four members of William’s guard flashed out from the veil of mist and swarmed around the traitor. In an instant, Erikson was disarmed and on his knees while the men held him steady. Claesson smiled when William stepped out from the trees, sword in hand as he approached. As much as the Commander would have enjoyed what happened next, his men needed him, so he turned and sped into the heart of the action.

  ✧

  Lucias dropped to his knees, as the image of Christopher’s head rolling across the ground burned into his brain. He’d sensed his mate’s fear and fled through the crowd of Chloe’s vampires to get to him, but he was too late. He stayed there, unable to move, not knowing what to do as the pain and rage seared his heart, turning it black and evaporating any tiny remnants of goodness that may have remained.

  Having lost sight of William and his men, he stood and turned, his gaze zeroing in on Chloe as everything else fell away. Nothing else mattered but making her pay for what she’d taken from him.

  His rage and focus were so intense that to Chloe it was like he was screaming right in her ear. She knew he was coming before he’d even taken the first step. He knew he was no match for her, but believed that he had the advantage of surprise since she kept her eyes on Kaleb as the curing power of her blood spread through his body and she gave no indication that she was aware of Lucias’s intentions.

  She’d become quite skilled at focusing her mind blasts and could have easily disabled Lucias, but she remembered something she’d seen in her father’s mind the day she left the compound. It was a thought, far back in his mind, that seemed to be playing on repeat. A promise he’d made that haunted him. A promise she intended to help him keep.

  She sought Ethan’s mind again and pushed into his consciousness. Ethan froze for a moment before his head snapped to Chloe. “Stay with Cami,” he said to Alexa and disappeared into the crowd of civilians before she could respond.

  Chloe never even looked up, trusting completely in her father’s strength and his love.

  Lucias was only a few yards from Chloe; his revenge so close he could taste it. But the only thing he tasted was his own blood as he found himself frozen in place. His gaze fell as he tried to understand why his feet weren’t carrying him forward. His heart would have stopped, if it wasn’t already stopped as Ethan gripped it firmly in the hand he’d plunged through Lucias’s back. Ethan yanked his arm back, pulling Lucias’s heart with it as Lucias dropped to his knees. Ethan jumped in front of him, satisfied to see that he hadn’t yet lost consciousness. He leaned down and hissed, “I warned you that if you touched my wife, I would rip your heart out, you piece of shit.”

  Lucias started to fall forward as the last signs of life slipped away. Ethan let his heart fall to the ground and unsheathed his sword; spinning around, he swung it up in time with the descent of Lucias’s body, cleanly cutting off his head.

  CHAPTER 21 - Moving Forward

  With Lucias’s death, all of the remaining infected were freed from the slavery of his bond, leaving all but a few who’d willingly submitted to Lucias’s cause confused and disoriented. Most stopped fighting, as the smell of blood surrounding them called to their bloodlust and they attacked the injured or unconscious around them. This made them easy targets for The Elite, and it wasn’t long before the entirety of Lucias’s army was disabled.

  “What will we do with all of them?” Cami asked, walking up to Commander Claesson.

  “Those who have been cured will be rounded up for questioning. We need to determine who they are, and where they came from. I would guess that most of them have families to go back to somewhere. We’ll take the remaining infected into custody and keep them contained until more antiserum is made to cure them.”

  “How the hell are we going to take all of them into custody?” Cami asked, looking around at the hundreds of infected on the ground. Some of them who were unlucky enough to take a shot to the head were actually dead, but the bulk of them were simply unconscious as a result of the tranquilizers. “We can’t handle this many prisoners.”

  “I already have it covered,” he replied with a smile, as he inclined his head. Cami looked to where he’d indicated to see lines of Hummers and large US Military trucks driving towards them. The Hummers came to a stop and hundreds of soldiers filed out, armed with silver-plated chains and handcuffs. An older gentleman with silver hair jumped down from one of the front vehicles and made his way over.

  “Commander Claesson,” he said with a salute. “General,” the Commander reciprocated. “How much
time do we have before these boys start waking up?” he asked, standing at ease.

  “I’d say about four hours with the level of sedative we used. As discussed, our men will help with the transport and escort you to the holding facility, just as a precaution.”

  “We’ll start loading them up then,” he replied, offering another salute before he walked back to his men.