by Donna Grant
“It’s called Stonelake,” he said.
She glimpsed the edge of water on the other side of the castle. “Why are we here?”
He smiled, chilling her. “I want you to see something.”
Francesca blinked, and they were inside the castle in the great hall. A woman with long golden curls beginning to streak with white sat near the hearth, sewing. She had the sweetest smile, the gentlest of hands as she reached over to the girl beside her.
One glance at the two and Francesca knew they were mother and daughter. It wasn’t until the daughter raised her face and she found herself staring into vivid blue eyes that she realized where they were.
Cade’s home.
Two more girls came into the hall. The smallest, with a cherub face and dark blonde braids, raced after the older one, who had a mischievous smile and light brown hair.
All had the same eyes as Cade.
Francesca swallowed, afraid to watch, but unable to look away.
It was a happy scene, a family enjoying the day and the love between them. Suddenly, the door to the castle flew open. Cade stood in the doorway, his hair hanging past his shoulders and windblown. He was covered in dust with a wild look about him.
She had only to look into his eyes to see the darkness had a hold of him. A sick feeling centered in her stomach as his sisters ran to him, throwing their arms around him. They shouted his name while he stood there, his face a mask of fear and confusion.
He didn’t touch them, and when they finally moved away, he walked to his mother. Her brows were furrowed, concern lining her face.
“Cade,” she said and rose to her feet. “What is it? Why have you returned so soon?”
He stumbled forward, and she reached out to help him. He jerked away from her as if stung. “Don’t touch me,” he bellowed.
His sisters shrank away, their eyes wide with fright.
“Girls, to your chambers,” his mother ordered. Once they were gone, she faced Cade. “You aren’t yourself, son.”
He laughed, the sound mirthless and defeated. “Nay. I’m not.”
“What can I do?”
He sank into the chair near her and buried his face in his hands. “I had thought coming here would help. I was wrong.”
“Cade? You’re scaring me.”
He lifted his face to look at her. “Run, Mother. Grab my sisters and run. Run as far away from me as you can.”
“Nay. I’m your mother. I can help you.”
He leapt to his feet. “No one can help me!”
A heartbeat later, he grabbed his head and fell to his knees.
His mother was at his side in an instant, her arms around him. Francesca couldn’t breathe. She had a feeling she knew what was going to happen, and it broke her heart to see Cade torn apart with the darkness.
“Cade,” his mother soothed and wiped his hair from his face.
When he lifted his eyes, now red, to her, she stood and backed away from him. “What have you done with my son, you devil?”
Cade’s face twisted in agony. “It is me, Mother.”
“Fight it, Cade. Fight it for us.”
He clenched his jaw. “I can’t. I’m not strong enough.”
His mother took another step away from him, her face pale in fear. “I love you, Cade. Never forget that.”
“Stop!” he yelled and grabbed his head again. “Please, God, stop.”
Francesca couldn’t tell if he was talking to the darkness or his mother. The pain he was in brought her to tears.
Slowly, he dropped his hands and lifted his head. “Please, leave,” he begged.
“Nay,” his mother stated. “I know you. You’re strong. You can beat this.”
He shook his head and unsheathed his sword. “I’m...trying.”
Cade backed her into the solar. His mother stood strong, her love shining through her blue eyes. “Whatever you are inside my son, leave.”
Still Cade advanced on her. He lifted his sword.
“Find a way to fight this, Cade,” she said just before he sunk his sword into her.
Francesca tried to look away, but her gaze was drawn to Cade. A tear ran down his face as he turned to find his sisters in the doorway. His eyes glowed, and it was as if he lost himself to the darkness as he killed all three of them.
When the last fell, Cade stood in the solar staring at them, tears rolling down his face. His sword fell from his fingers, and he dropped to his knees, lifting the youngest in his arms. He rocked her back and forth, mumbling into her hair. There was a noise from the great hall, and when Cade looked up, there was a man in front of him.
Francesca covered her mouth with her hand. The man was younger than Cade, with his same eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. He was shorter than Cade, lithe where Cade’s muscles were pronounced. His hair was a light brown, and his face held none of the appeal of Cade’s.
“What have you done?” the man demanded.
Cade’s eyes had begun to return to normal, but at his brother’s appearance, the red once more took over. He grabbed his sword and stood.
“Cade?” his brother asked and unsheathed his sword. “You killed our family!”
His brother lunged for him. Cade easily deflected the blow. The brother lifted his arm to attack again, and Cade stepped toward him, his blade sinking through his chest.
With a grunt, his brother dropped his weapon and clung to him. “Cade?” he asked, his face a mask of confusion.
As the life drained from his brother, Cade’s eyes returned to normal again. When he saw what he’d done, he removed his sword from his brother and tossed it aside. Then, one by one, he took his family out of the castle and buried them.
No one stopped him. No one helped.
Francesca couldn’t stop her tears. It was no wonder Cade carried such a weight around on his shoulders. After what the darkness had made him do, it was a wonder he’d been able to get it under control.
“He should have been mine then,” Nigel said.
Francesca looked away from Cade standing over the graves of his family while the sun set, back to Nigel. “You did this, didn’t you?”
Nigel shrugged. “I helped.”
Cade didn’t return to the castle. He simply walked away, never looking back at his home or his family.
“But he wasn’t yours. After killing his family, he fought the darkness. And won.”
Nigel clenched his jaw. “I made sure he had nothing to return to. I burned the castle and began hunting and killing anyone Cade had ever known and loved.”
“Why show me this?” she demanded.
“I want you to see what kind of power I have. I have your soul, my dear witch. I can control you forever.”
She swallowed, hoping the tremor of fear that ran through her hadn’t been seen. “I will fight you. Just as Cade fought the darkness.”
“You are so naïve. I can control your body now. If I wanted, I could sink the darkness into you as I did with Cade, Drogan and Gerard. You aren’t strong enough to overpower such evil.”
“What do you want?”
“Cade,” he answered without hesitation. “It won’t be long before I have him either.”
“Take me instead.”
His smile grew. “I already have you.”
“Then what do I have that I can give you in exchange for Cade?”
Nigel walked around her, eyeing her. “Your magic.”
“My magic? You are powerful enough to take my soul. Why do you need my magic?”
“A son,” he said, his gaze on her breasts. “I need a son.”
The thought of giving herself to Nigel made her want to slit her own throat, but if it would save Cade....
“In exchange for Cade?”
He shook his head. “Cade will still be mine, but I give you my word I will release him once his duty is done.”
“You aren’t giving me much in return?”
“I don’t have to give you anything. Your body is mine to command.�
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She smiled then, realizing why he needed her consent. “You can father a child off my body, but it won’t have my magic. Not unless I give it freely. If you want my magic, you let Cade go. Now.”
Nigel threw back his head and laughed. “I think not, witch. Once you’ve seen what Cade becomes, you’ll beg me to take your magic in exchange for releasing him.”
He snapped his fingers, and she was once more in the dark. She had taken only one breath when she heard the clink of a claw coming towards her.
Cade!
Chapter Twenty‐seven
Cade stalked from Wolfglynn, his anger, frustration, and pain over failing Francesca weighing heavily upon him. He wanted Nigel’s death, and though he told Drogan Francesca would be released if Nigel died, he didn’t know that for a fact.
He walked to the woods. Drogan and the others would be watching, and he didn’t want them to see him turn into a monster. His mother had begged him to fight the darkness, and though he’d been unable to stop the evil from taking ahold of him then, he had now brought it under control.
Ever since he’d killed his family, he had forgone any type of pleasure. He didn’t deserve it. He’d been too weak to take control of the darkness. All these years, he’d waited for the chance to unleash the darkness on Nigel. Nigel had thought he could control him, Drogan and Gerard with the darkness. He’d learned too late that hadn’t been the case.
It was why no others held it inside them. Nigel had learned his lesson quickly.
The darkness demanded revenge for Francesca, but Cade would deny it and himself. In order to free her, they couldn’t take the chance of killing Nigel.
He would turn into the monster his family had seen the day of their deaths, and Cade prayed Drogan and Grayson took him down quickly. Once the evil was released, death was quick to follow wherever he went.
“How is she?”
Cade jerked to a stop and turned to see Nigel leaning against a tree. His powers had grown so much that he could move through space and time at will.
“You know how she is,” Cade answered.
Nigel shrugged and pushed off the tree. “She’ll lay there for as long as I want her to, but I don’t want her wasting away. I have other plans for her...body.”
Cade’s vision instantly went red. He knew precisely what Nigel wanted with his witch, and he wasn’t going to let that happen.
“You won’t touch her,” Cade said between clenched teeth.
Nigel laughed. “I’ll do much more than touch her. As it is, I’ve been showing her some bits of your past.”
It was like a bucket of ice water had been thrown on him. He knew without asking what Nigel had shown Francesca: the day he’d killed his family.
His gut twisted painfully as he imagined how Francesca had reacted. She might have professed her love of him, but after seeing what he’d done, what he’d become that fateful day, she would want no part of him.
If only he could turn his heart away from her, but he couldn’t. She had touched him as no one had, given him everything without question. She had offered him paradise. The least he could do was to set her free.
“You want me, Nigel?”
The smile dropped from the baron’s face. “You know I do.”
“Then let Francesca go, and I’ll willingly come to you.”
Nigel narrowed his gaze at Cade. “If I let her go now, I can get her again.”
“Nay. You leave her and all bana‐bhuidseach alone.”
“Or what?” Nigel asked. “You’ll refuse? I don’t think so, Cade. I’ve seen you with her. Your love for her will make you sacrifice yourself.”
“Why do you want her?”
“You mean besides her body? I do need an heir.”
Cade’s mind raced. Why Francesca? Why now? And then he realized—her magic. “She won’t give you her magic.”
Nigel shrugged. “She will eventually.”
Cade stretched his shoulders. The only way Francesca would give in would be to save him. If only there was some way to let her know Nigel would never free him.
“Trying to figure out a way to save her?” Nigel asked with a sneer. “She’s doing the same thing. Well, she was. I’m sure now she’s screaming in pain.”
Anger exploded in Cade. Everything went red, and he launched himself at Nigel. He had to die. Nigel would never leave him or Francesca alone. Never.
Cade’s weapons moved with lightning speed. He attacked so quickly, Nigel didn’t have a chance at escape. Again and again, Cade cut into Nigel. Every howl of pain brought a smile to his lips.
Nigel threw him off with a vicious shove. Cade landed hard on his side with his arm beneath him and heard something crack. A rib, perhaps, but he didn’t have time to let the pain flood his mind. He had one goal—kill Nigel.
When the darkness shouted to be let loose, Cade threw his arms wide and his head back with his eyes closed.
“You can’t beat me,” Nigel howled.
Cade could feel the power building within, feel the darkness pushing free. It should have scared him. Before, he would have been trying to tamp the darkness back down. But not now.
A smile pulled at Cade’s lips. The power was exhilarating as it took over. He forgot where he was, who he was. Until he opened his eyes and spotted Nigel.
Cade chuckled when Nigel took a step away from him. “Something wrong?”
Nigel shook his head. “I have more power than you.”
“Maybe. Let’s find out, shall we?”
“I have your witch, Cade. You should think of that before you try to harm me. With one thought, I could kill her.”
Cade took a deep breath, willing the anger to fuel him. “You shouldn’t have mentioned her.”
“Cade. Let’s talk about this.”
“The time for talking is over.”
Cade swirled his blades around him as he advanced on Nigel. The baron lifted his hands, palms out. Cade laughed as he rolled away from the blast of power. He came up behind Nigel.
“Your time is over.”
Nigel whirled around, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but Cade had already sliced his knives through Nigel’s neck.
The baron’s lips moved, but instead of words, only blood bubbled from the corners before his head tipped backwards and rolled to the ground. A heartbeat later, his body crumpled beside it.
Cade’s breath came in great bursts. He smiled down at the dead body of Nigel, knowing he had succeeded in killing evil. When he turned away, Nigel’s army surrounded him.
He turned back his lips in a sneer. “Who wants to join him?” he said and gestured toward Nigel.
The men looked from him to Nigel, unsure of what to do. Of a sudden, light exploded around them, knocking Cade against a tree. Pain filled his head. He struggled through a sea of nausea and throbbing as he tried to rise and find his weapons before the men attacked.
Just as his hand closed over one of his knives, he fell to the side, unconscious.
Chapter Twenty‐eight
Francesca opened her eyes to find Drogan, Serena, Grayson, and Adrianna staring over her.
“Fran?” Drogan asked. “How do you feel?”
She parted her lips to speak when she remembered everything that had happened, from the torture to seeing Cade’s past. It took but a moment to realize she was free.
“Where’s Cade?” she asked.
Each one of them refused to meet her gaze. Dread filled her. She threw off the blanket and rose from the bed.
“Fran, please,” Drina called. “You need rest.”
But Francesca wasn’t listening. She raced from her chamber and out of the castle. It wasn’t until she was in the bailey that a large hand clamped around her arm and jerked her to a stop.
“What are you doing?” Drogan demanded.
“Cade set me free.”
Drogan glanced away. “I know.”
“You spoke with him?”
“Aye. He came to the castle.”
; Her knees threatened to buckle. “He came in the castle?”
“For you, Fran. He came for you.”
Tears blurred her vision. “I don’t want to lose him.”
“Neither do I, but I think we have. He left to find Nigel.”
Francesca glanced at the gate. “They’ll be in the woods.”
“I swore to Cade I would keep you safe.”
There was no way to get Drogan out of the gates, and he wouldn’t let her out of his sight for fear she would sneak away. “I cannot leave Cade. He’s going to need me.”
“Fran,” Drogan began, only to halt when a knight called to him. “What is it?”
“There are men coming out of the forest, dropping their weapons.”
Francesca met his gaze before they both rushed up the stairs to the battlements. With her heart pounding in her chest, she stood by Drogan and watched the men wander away from the trees.
“What does it mean?”
Drogan shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe Cade won.”
“Nay.” Drogan faced her. “He was afraid to fight Nigel, afraid that if he won, your soul wouldn’t be returned. He went to give himself over to Nigel.”
She gripped the stones so tightly her knuckles turned white. “You must be wrong.”
An hour later, they still stood on the battlements. The men had ceased walking from the trees, and there was no more movement in the forest.
“We have to see,” Francesca pleaded. “Please, Drogan. What if he’s injured?”
“What if he’s the monster we think he’ll be?”
She lifted her chin. “Then I’ll save him.”
Drogan was crumbling, she could tell. She glanced at Serena, who had joined them.
“We won’t know until we look,” Serena said. “Take your men with you.”
Drogan nodded. “Alright.”
Francesca started past him, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Don’t think to keep me here,” she threatened. “The man I love is out there, and nothing will stop me from going to him.”
Drogan sighed and released her. Ten minutes later, they were atop horses, racing to the trees. Francesca didn’t know what she would find, but she prayed that somehow, despite all the odds, she would make it to Cade.