Forever (Book #3 in the Fateful Series)

by Schmidt, Cheri

  Danielle woke up in that bedroom again. No! No! No! No! No! She kicked her legs in anger. She and Ethan had been separated by time, and while his words from the memory had proved true, and they had found each other again in life, now they were separated by distance. Frustration sapped the dismal strength she had left in her muscles, and crushed any resolve she might have clung to. She was so hungry she was nauseated. Her body ached in all of the places Lucas had hit her. Her poor wrists were so raw she was surprised she wasn’t bleeding. At the thought of blood, the image of a motionless Lucas returned to her mind. Lifting her hands, her bound hands, she noticed with a huge sense of relief that someone had cleaned the blood off, or she might have fainted again.

  The sound of men arguing drew her gaze to the closed door. Danielle pushed up onto her elbows trying to hear better.

  “What should we do with her now?” one of them asked. Even though the words were barely audible, she’d understood them clearly enough.

  “The other coven of witches said they can’t do anything for us. They say that Lucas lied, that we need a sorcerer because we were created by a sorcerer and that we don’t need her.”

  “Should we let her go then?”

  “No, but we do need to get rid of her.”

  Danielle dropped back onto the mattress. It bounced a little. Great, she mused with sarcasm. What now? Besides making the ropes too tight, the werewolves hadn’t really harmed her physically, but would that change now that they didn’t need her?

  Chapter 17

  Forever

  The team following the fairies had found the werewolves’ dwelling. They’d discovered where Danielle and Nadia had been held, as well as a body buried beneath a pile of rocks nearby. Further investigation had revealed the deceased as Lucas. He’d been stabbed in the heart. Ethan was incredibly relieved to know Lucas was finally dead, but was worried about what had happened to Danielle before that. Was she all right?

  The witch led Ethan and the others to the location of the auction. They could hear the auctioneer belting out prices as they neared. Little Red signaled for them to follow her. She was leading them to a circle of witches congregating on the outskirts of the clearing the auction was being held in. While Ethan was startled about coming face-to-face with some of the cutest redheads he’d ever seen, his attention was riveted to the auction already in session. He didn’t know who was being auctioned off at the moment, and he feared it was Danielle. Propping his barely useful glasses on the bridge of his nose, Ethan craned his neck and tried to see who the poor soul was. Standing in the midst of many towering men stood a short woman. Her hair was so fair it shimmered brightly, even in the shadow of several pine trees. Ethan knew she couldn’t possibly be human. Nevertheless, he felt bad for her just as he felt relief that she wasn’t Danielle.

  “She’s a mermaid,” a slight redhead said.

  Ethan looked back toward the auction, noting the fact that the woman stood on two legs.

  “They all have legs like that when they’re dry,” said an even shorter and thinner redhead.

  “What if—” Ethan had meant to ask what would happen if she started singing when the witches covered their ears suddenly. Just as he felt the hypnotic tug of her magic, he did the same, narrowly escaping being overcome like that again. He watched as the mermaid strolled away from her captors with an enchanting half smile, revealing a dimple in one cheek. Nearing a fallen tree, she gathered her green gown into her hands and skipped lightly over it. Tossing a triumphant giggle over her shoulder, the mermaid twirled away from the auction, sweeping satin-like ribbons of hair away from her face. Knowing what this innocent-looking creature was really capable of, Ethan couldn’t see how she’d been captured in the first place, especially when she escaped easily enough.

  After several moments of simply looking at one another, waiting, the witches dropped their hands. Ethan and the guards did also.

  “How—? I mean, they didn’t know what she was?” Ethan asked.

  “Did you?” asked Little Red.

  “Well, no.”

  “The ones who captured her probably did know,” explained another redhead. “But they likely sold her to those who didn’t. Of course she played along, knowing she could escape anytime she liked, and the ones who originally took her wouldn’t care about that because they’d already made a profit.”

  Having shaken loose of the bewitching mermaid’s song, the crowd began another auction. Again, Ethan checked to make sure it wasn’t his wife, but he couldn’t see well enough, so he stepped away from the witches, seeking a better angle.

  A witch grabbed at his sleeve and pulled. “Careful, they might see you.”

  “But—”

  “It’s not Danielle.”

  From the look on her heart-shaped face, Ethan could see she knew that to be the case. But his mind had snagged on her previous comment. “Why can’t I be seen if you said I needed funds? I thought that was why we’re here. I’m going in to buy her back, am I not?”

  “I didn’t mean that you would be doing it. You’ll be recognized and you’ll lose her again.”

  “Why would they care who I am if I have the money they want?” He did have cash with him, a large sum of it. Of course he never thought he would use it for this. Ethan had brought some with him when they’d first left to live with the fairies, then he’d collected more after he and Max had visited with Sir Roland when they picked up additional weapons. Avoiding credit cards, because cash couldn’t be traced, he’d originally brought it because he didn’t really know how long they would be with the fairies and if they’d been forced to leave, where they’d end up next. Ethan had the full intentions of taking her to a very nice hotel after all of this was over. But never imagining it would be used to pay a ransom to get her back, Ethan feared he still might not have enough.

  “They know who you are, just as they know who she is. Would you like them to turn this into a double auction of the ones who discovered the cure?”

  Ethan had no response for that as he felt his lips thin.

  “Why can’t we just blast our way in, and rescue her that way?” asked Prince Richard. Anticipation spiced Richard’s words as he lovingly fingered the trigger on his weapon—like it was a cherished object. The Black Prince was always up for a bit of violence, and he’d retired his sword in favor of a shiny automatic. Ethan was with the prince in this regard. While he was doing his best to portray a cool exterior, his thoughts were eagerly turning to aggression. If he didn’t have enough money, then violence was the better option.

  Little Red just stared up at Richard and blinked. “You do see the flaw in that logic, don’t you?”

  “I really don’t,” responded Richard, frowning with a bit of a sneer curling his lip.

  The witch cast her gaze around the prince at the clearing. “That area is enchanted. Your guns won’t work there.”

  “Bloody hell,” snarled Richard in plain disappointment. Ethan kept his disheartened words inside.

  “Did you know about these auctions?” Richard asked Seth.

  “No.”

  “How can you take part in this cruel and illegal practice?” Merrick asked Little Red.

  The petite woman shrugged her shoulders. “Not all of these victims are as innocent as you perceive them to be. Plus, we’re helping you rescue someone, aren’t we?”

  Ethan really wanted to point out that they’d helped the werewolves capture his innocent wife, but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. All he cared about was getting Danielle back, and debating the dishonest nature of selling any living soul wouldn’t likely help him achieve that goal.

  Seth scratched his scalp. “I just can’t believe I didn’t know about this ... market of sorts.”

  “There are lots of things we don’t tell the all-powerful and self-righteous vampires,” said the witch, lifting her chin in a show of proud defiance.

  “Like the fact that witches come in an adorable redhead variety?” Everyone knew Cedric was teasing Merrick with
that softly murmured comment. “I thought you said all witches were hags.”

  “The ones I’ve met were hags.”

  “Perhaps it was a glamour to mask their exotic and magnificent beauty.”

  “Witches never use glamour.”

  “The ones I met were gargantuan in size with hairy warts and—”

  “I highly doubt they could hide that behind a glamour, even if they did use them.”

  “Stop this ridiculous banter,” ordered Little Red. “They’re bringing her out.”

  Ethan felt every inch of his body snap to attention as he brought his ruined glasses to his eyes. He hadn’t found her just yet, but swallowed when Seth pointed out, “They have her well bound.”

  “She must have been fighting. Bless her,” commented Merrick with a hint of pride in his voice.

  Ethan swore in three different languages. Danielle would have fought, would have defended herself and Nadia. Certainly he was proud of her too, but the thought of them punishing his pregnant wife for it, for the studied impulse within her, made his heart twist inside his chest. He struggled to pull enough oxygen into his lungs as he shifted around the guards to see. When he managed to spot her, Ethan gasped, his soul screaming out in outrage. Yes, she’d been beaten. Her eye had been blackened, her jaw bruised. With slumped shoulders, she swayed on unsteady feet that were bound just as her wrists were. The large, blond male had to keep a fistful of her hoodie in his grasp or she would likely crumple beneath her own weight. Pure, unsaturated rage poured into his veins and coursed though his system. The intense emotion drove his foot forward.

  “Now,” ordered the witch.

  Just as Ethan wondered what she meant by that, hands grasped his arms and a palm covered his mouth. His eyes rounded in surprise. A sense of betrayal brought more curses to his lips that were easily muffled by Merrick’s wide hand.

  “Who’s going in?” asked Seth. It was obvious to Ethan that while he hadn’t had a plan, the others had. His eyes narrowed.

  “The warlocks,” said one of the witches.

  “Can we trust them?” asked Richard.

  He’s asking this now? Ethan thought as he tried to get free of Merrick and Cedric who held him captive between them. “Stop struggling, my friend,” warned Merrick, “or I’ll be the one to lay you low next.”

  Another wave of betrayal washed over him. So, Max had told them about the scuffle.... Ethan closed his eyes, dragging breath in and out of his nose as he reconsidered the situation and forced himself to calm down. Though he felt deceived, he also understood. He wasn’t a complete idiot. Apparently they knew him better than he’d thought, and apparently they knew him better than he even knew himself. Concern for his wife had completely overridden logic. That and his possessive need to protect her had nearly sent him charging out there, without thinking and without a plan. Even consumed with near-crippling emotion, Ethan knew how much he needed help right now. Mentally grasping onto the trust he had for his friends, he released the tension in his muscles. Noticing that, Merrick and Cedric loosened their hold, even though they didn’t let him go just yet.

  Little Red caught his eye. “I must prepare you,” she began, her tone soft and apologetic. “They’ll be rough with her.” Movement just beyond the small witch drew his attention. The warlocks were collecting the money from his pack. Both men were much larger than the female witches and could do a great deal of damage to Danielle if they were rough with her.

  “Why?” he asked beneath Merrick’s palm as the tension surged back and every muscle in his body snapped tight again. He wasn’t sure Danielle could take much more and not lose the baby, if she hadn’t already. Just the thought that it might already be too late tore at his soul. His gaze landed on her weakened form and the worries whirling in his mind burned the back of his eyes. Ethan blinked, but couldn’t stop the sob that escaped his chest.

  “I fear I should have clarified,” said the witch, correctly interpreting his distress, and seeming to feel sorry about it. “They’ll make it look like they’re hurting her, but they won’t. Not really. They have to make it convincing that they don’t care about her safety but want her because of the cure.”

  Ethan shook his head trying to get Merrick to let him talk. With caution and a warning in his keen eyes, the Highland knight finally lowered his hand. Ethan turned to Richard as the one he trusted the most. “What if these warlocks do want her, and they—?”

  “They don’t,” answered Little Red. The red-headed warlocks were already moving in and raising their hands to bid on Danielle. He couldn’t hear how high the price had gone but it seemed it was shooting up fast, along with his blood pressure.

  “How can you know?” Ethan’s eyes again sliced to his wife, fear for her safety fogging his brain. What if he didn’t have enough money? What if these harmless-looking witches turned out to be more treacherous than they’d expected? So many things could go wrong with this.

  “They’re part of our coven.” Certainly the red hair should have told him that, but it didn’t soothe his concerns.

  A scoffing sound slipped past his lips. Like he trusted any of them, Ethan thought with sarcasm. They were bloody witches! They were to blame for this situation, for the danger Danielle was now in. For hurting her. How could he be expected to trust more strangers with the care of his wife? Ethan’s frown deepened as her head lolled to the side and he realized she wasn’t even standing on her own at the moment. The werewolf holding her had noticed and was smacking at her cheek trying to rouse her. Ethan’s blood boiled and he tried again to get free. When that didn’t work, his eyes shot to Richard. “Help me.” Having Richard march in there with guns blazing seemed like a much more preferable way of dealing with this. The prince was a dangerous and skilled warrior....

  Richard’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Ethan, if they try to swindle us, I’m prepared to mow them down as soon as they leave the enchanted clearing.” The prince patted his weapon.

  “What if that doesn’t work on them?” Ethan ground out.

  Richard opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut when one of the witches whispered, “Shsh. They’re nearing the end.”

  Ethan leaned sideways because Richard was blocking his view and he watched in muted horror as the auctioneer bellowed, “Going, going, gone for six hundred thousand pounds!”

  Ethan’s knees gave out. That was a lot more than he’d had with him because even the finest hotel didn’t cost that much. “No!” Merrick’s hand clapped back over his mouth as he and Cedric supported his weight. Ethan forced starch back into his legs and struggled again while he watched for the winner to claim his battered wife. To his utter surprise, it was the warlocks who claimed her.

  When he directed a shocked gaze onto a grinning Little Red, she said, “A simple duplicating spell was all it took to have more cash than you’d brought. Do you see why you should trust us now?”

  No, he really didn’t, he mused as his eyes returned to Danielle. The red-headed male wearing the black t-shirt instead of black leather did something that looked like he’d struck her in the face before slinging her over his shoulder. Danielle moaned as she dangled limply down his muscular back. What was wrong with her? He had to get to her, had to check out her injuries.

  “Come,” said Little Red.

  Fearing Danielle was in dire need of medical attention, Ethan fought, but Cedric and Merrick took him the other direction despite his struggles. Even though it was daylight, it was extremely clear that the fey magic was weakening and their vampire strength was returning.

  The witches led them several paces away from the auction. “I need to get to her!” Ethan demanded. And why couldn’t he see the warlocks any longer? Ethan looked everywhere, but he couldn’t see where they’d taken his wife. It seemed as though they’d vanished, along with the prince, because Ethan couldn’t find him either.

  “In time,” came the calm reply from Little Red.

  Ethan tossed curses and insults her way. He was unable to take any r
elief whatsoever from the witch’s gentle tone.

  Ignoring his bad language and smirking slightly, the pretty witches encircled him and the men keeping him under control. Several pairs of green eyes studied him in amusement. Linking their hands, they chanted a spell. As the rhyming melody rose from their lips, Ethan blinked and suddenly found himself in a completely different place.

  Blinking, Ethan lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding sunlight angling into his eyes, as he tried to figure out where he was. The guards released him and gave him a little shove forward.

  “What?” he asked in bewilderment as he staggered a step or two before catching himself. His eyes landed on a black door embellished with silver metalwork.

  “You’ll find Danielle inside the cottage, Ethan. Don’t keep her waiting.”

  Wondering if his legs would hold him, Ethan lunged forward and wrenched it open. Stumbling inside, he waited impatiently for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting.

  The first thing he noticed in the one-room cottage was a big shape, backlit by the window, bending down over a bed. Sunlight caught at the edges of the man’s red hair and Ethan knew he had to be one of the warlocks. If that was the case, then Danielle was there too. Ethan rushed forward. Once his shins bumped against the edge of the bed, he squinted down at his wife as he sank to the quilt next to her. He could still see her without glasses, just not as clearly as he’d like, and certainly not clearly enough to thoroughly inspect the damage done to her person. Ethan searched for his glasses, his hands slapping at his pockets frantically. Finding them in his left jacket pocket, he began lifting them to his face when they were snatched from his fingertips.

  “Allow me,” said the red-headed male who’d just been leaning over his wife.

  Ethan tried to steal them back. “They work well enough, thank you.” Couldn’t this warlock see how urgent this was?

  Ignoring him, the warlock responded with a cheerful, “It’ll only take a moment. It’s the least I can do.”

  The least you can do after punching my wife? Ethan wanted to ask, his teeth snapping down on the words to contain them.