Twisted Fate (5, Rhyn Eternal)

by Ford, Lizzy

  What if this is the last time I see her? This time, she knew the words weren’t spoken aloud, and they managed to yank her closer to the man she hadn’t wanted to care about. She was reading his deepest fear – and it crushed her to learn it was about her.

  He pulled away too soon and rested his forehead against hers.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she whispered.

  “I do,” he replied firmly. “Listen carefully. There are two threats to you. Darkyn is one. Wynn is the other. Of the two, I alone can handle Darkyn. But that leaves you vulnerable to Wynn. Play along with him until you find Kris or Andre. They’ll know how to handle him. But you must not challenge him alone.”

  It was the most serious he’d ever been since they’d met.

  “Do you understand?”

  She nodded. “You’ll come back, won’t you?”

  He traced the pad of his thumb across her lips. “You do owe me a date,” he said. “I figure I can’t die before I collect, right?”

  Stephanie was feeling nowhere near as confident. “I want you to come back,” she whispered.

  He kissed her on the forehead and stepped away. “Keep Karma out of trouble.”

  Seemingly at ease with being stuck in Hell, he joined the Dark One and disappeared into the portal. He was followed by the remaining three demons.

  Stephanie waited until they all disappeared, overwhelmed once more and trying to figure out why she felt like she did the night she saw Olivia being attacked. She barely knew Fate, barely trusted him, and her insides were twisting and tearing.

  Reviewing his parting words, she found herself rooted in place for another long minute, waiting for him to reappear. When he didn’t, she faced the direction she’d come and began walking mechanically, too absorbed in deciphering what she was feeling to pay much attention to where she went. She walked in a daze until she reached the castle. Only then did she recall what Fate had said, what she was supposed to be doing.

  She wanted to hate Wynn, to march into his study and tell him exactly what she thought of him, now that she knew he used people’s deepest fears against them. Instead, she returned to the line of pissed off petitioners and began to hear their cases once more. Her mind was anywhere but there, and she began to consider how she was going to find Kris again or break into Hell to free Andre.

  Hours later, she’d created a tentative plan.

  “Kiki, can we talk?” After an awkward, quiet family dinner, Stephanie waited until Wynn had left the dining hall to approach her brother.

  He glanced around as if to ensure they were alone. “Yeah. Come on.” Leading her out of the dining hall, he headed towards the fourth floor, where their rooms were located, and entered his. Decorated much like hers, the main differences were the computers and desks upon which they sat lining the far wall. “We can talk here.” He tossed his iPad onto his bed and motioned her to the seating area in front of the hearth.

  “I’m not sure how to say this.” She debated in silence for a moment. “I met Kris.”

  Kiki sat up straighter. “What?”

  “That’s why I disappeared last night. He grabbed me out of my room and dragged me through, like, a dozen portals. Apparently he was brought back from uh, being dead, or whatever, so he could get rid of Wynn again.”

  Kiki was listening closely, his eyes wide. “Tell me everything.”

  “That’s pretty much it,” she said with a shrug. “I guess he heard about me and wanted to meet me to see if I was real. He didn’t want me coming back but then he saw the tattoo.”

  “Kris won’t break the Code’s laws about mates. Did he say where he was going?”

  “Nope. He got me liquored up real good with whiskey so I barely remember half of what we talked about.” I’m not about to reveal my secret skill after seeing how Fate and the Dark One reacted.

  “Did you tell Fate?”

  “Yeah. And …” She sighed. “The Dark One knows, too.”

  Kiki frowned.

  Stephanie explained her encounter with the Dark One resulting in Fate going to Hell. She paused afterwards, trying once more to explore what she felt. Ever-present confusion, sorrow and … amazement. A man who barely knew her was taking her place in Hell. Drawn to his handsome features since their very first meeting, perplexed by his complicated personality, she’d never thought him capable of anything so selfless. She was starting to crave learning more about him, from the hard body to the center of his complex mind. If he could cease scaring her with deity talk long enough for her to feel at ease with him …

  “We have to do something,” she said at last. “He said to find Kris or Andre.”

  “We know where Andre is.”

  The same place Fate is. She pondered the idea of voluntarily breaking into Hell and the half-assed plan she’d made with Gabriel and Deidre before they were discovered by Karma. “I have an idea,” she said slowly. “I think it’s probably a really, really bad one.”

  “There’s a good chance I’ve heard worse,” Kiki said.

  I really hope so.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Fate rested against the black wall of the cell, his new home for the time being. He hadn’t wanted to worry Stephanie by telling her the truth. If he ever left Hell, there was a chance it was after a few hundred thousand years at Darkyn’s mercy. He had no optimistic hope of surviving this trip, even if he ultimately needed to live in order to prevent the world from disappearing. Darkyn would likely test the limits of the rules remaining from the time-before-time.

  Fate would do the same. He viewed these precious few moments as possibly the last downtime he ever experienced. Hell and the Underworld of Death held the oldest of magics capable of absorbing the power of a full deity. If he happened to spend his four months here working off his debt to Karma, he’d end up trapped even when his power returned.

  So many times in his life, someone – usually another deity – had wanted to capture Fate, to control the godling master of the Future. He never dreamt he’d voluntarily enslave himself to anyone.

  But the alternative, letting Stephanie learn the depths of darkness only Hell could contain, was not an option. He didn’t know what to feel for his mate, but he wasn’t going to fail to protect her from the world he had already experienced.

  “What did you do?” the soft voice came from the cell door.

  He twisted his head to look. He couldn’t see out of the six by six box, unless someone was at his door. An invisible, magic door separated him from Deidre, who was frowning.

  “You can’t tell me you’re not pleased to see me here,” he said with a smile.

  “I’m not. I was angry with you for a while but … I mean, how could I stay angry? You did try to protect me.”

  “In what ways I could.”

  “In what ways you knew how to.”

  “Deities are not much in the empathy department.” He chuckled. “Does Darkyn know you’re here?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “I don’t keep secrets from him.”

  “Except about your recent half-human visitor.”

  She eyed him. “Okay, so I do keep secrets. But he knows I do. He respects them.”

  “So he knows your secrets already and pretends like he doesn’t.”

  “This isn’t about me!” she snapped. “Why on earth did you agree to come down here?”

  “The same reason Darkyn doesn’t call you on your secrets.”

  Deidre was quiet. When he looked at her, he found her smiling. “Go ahead and gloat for now. When I’m rendered dead-dead, you can deliver the message to her,” he said.

  “If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you can take care of yourself.”

  “I’m not worried about me.”

  “Don’t you start,” she chided him. “You aren’t gonna manipulate me!”

  He laughed. “Very well. But I am only partially trying to extort your sympathy.”

  “You made a deal with Darkyn, didn’t you?”

  “I did.
”

  “Then you don’t need to worry about him hurting her,” she reminded him.

  I’m worried I won’t get to see what having a mate feels like. He said nothing aloud. The thought was too private to share with anyone, and the idea he had a soft spot for the woman destined to become his mate was going to be used against him at every turn, if anyone knew. But he did have a soft spot. He had witnessed the shift in Stephanie’s gaze when she realized what he’d done.

  It touched him on a level he hadn’t known existed. He’d made a decision to claim his mate, if only to keep her safe, and was finding it hard not to want there to be something more. A relationship, the kind he didn’t normally have with people. This one would be mutual without expectation of something to gain. He’d also feel, really feel her, for the rest of eternity. He had dismissed such an idea long ago. How was feeling so venerated? It was crude, human physical science and nothing more.

  And yet, whenever he kissed her, when her musk reached his nose and her fingers his skin, his whole world seemed to stop, to grow less important than sharing a moment with her.

  “Are you happy with Darkyn? Truly happy?” he asked Deidre.

  “I am.”

  “Good.” He had originally pitied her for where she was headed.

  “You know I can’t interfere, right?”

  “I do,” he replied. “But you can sit and talk to me, can’t you? Eternity is a long time to spend here.”

  She sat beside his cell. “I’ll be here.”

  “Talk to me. Tell me something new,” he said and rested his head back against the cool stone wall.

  Deidre began talking about her life in Hell. Fate half-listened, allowing his mind to dwell on the puzzle that was being mated to a stranger in between responses to her. She stayed with him for an hour or more, until her gaze strayed from him to someone approaching from down the hallway.

  He didn’t have to ask to know it was her mate. Deidre’s features flushed pink, and her eyes sparkled. She stood and stepped to the side. Darkyn stopped beside her and peered into Fate’s cell.

  “I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this,” he growled.

  “Let’s get started,” Fate said and stood.

  “Not so fast.” Darkyn was entirely too pleased for Fate’s comfort. “You have a long list of people clamoring for a shot at you while you’re here.”

  “Brilliant, as always. I’m certain you’re extorting favors left and right from them for a shot at Fate,” he said ruefully.

  “I have never seen so many deities eager to deal with me,” the Dark One said, coldly amused.

  Shit. This is gonna hurt. But Fate smiled, not about to appear weak or uneasy in front of anyone. “The circus is open for business.”

  Darkyn’s smile was nothing short of terrifying.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “This is a terrible idea,” Tamer whispered.

  “If you aren’t back by nine, I’m gonna have to tell Wynn,” Kiki reminded her.

  “Don’t tell Wynn! Grow a backbone for once, Kiki!”

  “I’m the only reason this entire fucking society hasn’t crumbled.”

  Tamer rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Come on, Steph.”

  Dressed all in black, certain she probably wasn’t coming back at all, Stephanie swallowed hard. She gave Kiki a quick squeeze of his arm, not wanting him to be upset, and trailed Tamer into the forest.

  “Remember. There’s one way into and out of Hell.” Tamer said for the zillionth time. He shrugged into a huge overcoat that covered him from neck to ankles. “I’m sneaking you in under my trench coat. Stand on my feet like you’re four.”

  Stephanie obeyed and leaned back against him. She folded her arms across her chest. Tamer closed the coat around them both and buttoned it until she could see nothing. “It’s hot,” she complained.

  “Shut up. This was your idea,” he growled.

  It’s a horrible idea.

  “Ready?”

  “Sure,” she said in a tight voice.

  He grunted in response. Tamer took a few steps to make sure she didn’t fall then opened up the coat. “This isn’t going to work right.” He jostled her aside and yanked off his belt, widening it until it was long enough to go around both of them.

  “I can hear Wynn now,” Kiki said from nearby. “He’ll let you stay in Hell. You both know that, right?”

  “I know, I know,” Stephanie responded. “Wish us luck.”

  “I’ll wish you quick deaths if caught.”

  Tamer snapped the belt around her midsection and replaced the overcoat. She was soon enclosed once more in the stifling heat. Her brother did several more test steps then opened a portal.

  “Here we go,” Tamer said.

  Stephanie focused on keeping her feet on his. He moved in a slow lumber, and only the belt kept her from face planting. Even the chilly place-between-places didn’t cool her down. She had no way of knowing where they were in the process of entering Hell until Tamer paused.

  “Routine collections,” he said briskly.

  She held her breath, terrified of being discovered. But Tamer went unchallenged and was soon walking once more. She heard the muffled sound of a door close and silently begged him to hurry, about to hyperventilate without air in the thick coat.

  A few moments later, he stopped again and unbuttoned the coat.

  “Oh, my god!” she gasped and fumbled to unfasten the belt. She all but fell into the wall they faced.

  “Quiet!” he hissed. “You’re on your own. You have fifteen minutes before you have to meet me here. Got the map?”

  She lifted her hand, where she’d redrawn the map he gave her, along with instructions.

  “Go.” He started the timer on his watch. “Don’t get caught.”

  She did the same, turned and hurried down the black hallways lit by black torches. She paused at the first intersection to listen for sounds of anyone approaching from either direction before sliding around the corner to the left.

  Convinced this was the single worst idea she’d ever had, she nonetheless felt familiar desperation, the kind that had been plaguing her since the night Olivia died and she was first introduced to this insane world. By all accounts, the eldest child of Wynn was also a deity and the only level headed, rational member of her dysfunctional family. If anyone could cancel out Wynn – and also help her free Fate – it was a deity who was also family. Andre was going to help her fix her life. He had to. She had no other option.

  At least, this was what she told herself to keep from breaking down into a delirious, sobbing heap as she crept through the corridors of Hell. With some relief, she found Tamer’s instructions to be exact down to the smallest distance. Twice she ran across demons and was forced to wait and watch precious seconds tick down on her watch. Once she was certain she was spotted but no one appeared to challenge her.

  She was doubly grateful when she realized the instructions weren’t taking her into the bowels of Hell, where she was likely to witness just how horrific this strange world was. Her brother was being kept in a quiet hallway with a dead end, off the beaten path.

  “This is where it gets tricky,” she murmured.

  Four doors, four rooms. Tamer hadn’t known which was Andre’s.

  After a brief hesitation, she went to the nearest and opened it.

  “Empty.” She sighed. The room was larger than hers had been during her brief stay in Hell. Tamer had said Darkyn was treating Andre as a guest, not a prisoner, and the size and layout of the dark room seemed to support this.

  She closed it and went to the door across the hallway and opened it next. A man with white eyes and a shimmer of power marking him a deity stood before the fire and twisted to see her. For a moment she was stuck in place, gazing into the unusual gaze. He was tall and fit, pale of skin with jet-black hair and the penetrating stare of a predator. He moved with athletic grace unlike any she’d ever seen.

  Another deity but definitely not Andre. By his look, she didn’t want
to know which one.

  “Sorry. Just, uh, ignore me.” She started to close the door.

  With movement too fast for her to see, he was suddenly at the door with his hand jamming it open. He yanked it out of her hands, and she stepped back, alarmed.

  “What are you?” he demanded.

  “Just in the neighborhood. Sorry to disturb you. Maybe … maybe you should just go back to your room,” she said.

  “You have freed me. I will not.”

  “I don’t have time for this. Whatever. I gotta find someone and you’re not him.” She shifted away and went to the next door.

  “You’re not a demon.”

  “No.”

  “Yet you’re in Hell.” He trailed like a curious puppy.

  She opened the third door and released her breath when she saw it, too, was empty. “It’s a long story, okay? You’re free. You don’t have to hang around.”

  “Why would I leave when you’re going to show me how to escape?”

  Kiki had started to brief her on the hundreds of thousands of Immortal laws in either Code. Was freeing a random deity from Hell breaking one of them? Worse, which deity was this? A good one or one Kiki refused to talk about?

  “I’ll owe you a favor of your choice,” the deity added.

  She paused, hand on the doorknob to the final room. Fate had told her this was the ultimate currency to Immortals and deities. “As long as you don’t get in the way,” she said. “But I’ve got to save my brother first.”

  “I will be but a shadow.”

  She snorted and pushed the final door open. The handsome, night skinned man with aquiline features seated at the fire with a book had the most luxurious room on the block complete with his own miniature library and a bar.

  Wynn’s claim to have made a comfortable arrangement with Darkyn returned to her.

  “Whoa,” she said and looked around. “This is nicer than my room at the castle.”

  “Why do you rate this and I didn’t?” the deity behind her grumbled.

  “Shadow!” she snapped at him. “Go guard the hallway.”

  He did so.