by Ford, Lizzy
“Gladly. As long as you aren’t in charge of the Council.”
“Because I did so terribly the first few thousand years?”
“Omigod, really?” Stephanie snapped. “Andre is the only one of you I’d ever put in charge of anything, even making brownies! You people lack empathy, impartiality and any sense of the world beyond this fucked up family.”
Rhyn laughed. “Definitely my sister!”
“Something about half-breeds,” Kris said once more with mild disapproval. His gaze grew considering once more.
Neither spoke, but Rhyn looked at her, head tilted, as if the two of them were discussing something telepathically.
“Stop it!” she ordered. “So the plan is for me to pretend to do what Wynn wants, so he doesn’t hurt my family, and until you all figure out what to do next.”
“Pretty much,” Kris replied. “It won’t be long. I’ve got feelers out to a few more allies. It’d be helpful if your mate was somewhere other than Hell.”
“Can’t help you there,” she replied. At least I know where he is. Restless, concerned for her mom and sister, she rose and began to pace. “There has to be more I can do than just whatever Wynn says!”
“Yeah. Keep him from figuring out you’re plotting against him,” Rhyn advised. “I was in charge of the Council when he blindsided me with the news I’d been voted out. To make sure I didn’t threaten his position, he sends the occasional herd of assassins after my family.”
She gazed at him. “I’m so sorry, Rhyn.”
“Not as sorry as the assassins when I get done with them.” His silver eyes gleamed. “We are all risking something by being involved in any plot to get rid of Wynn. The best you can do is stay in line and provide us information when we need it.”
“And protect Kiki. He’s purposely oblivious,” Kris said. “Wynn’s in charge, but Kiki controls everything. He knows what’s at risk if he’s not there, but that leaves him vulnerable to Wynn.”
“Don’t give Wynn an excuse to use your family against you.”
Her thoughts went to Wynn figuring out her role in releasing Andre from Hell. Was it enough to tip him into action? Or was he content realizing she had nowhere else to go?
“I still don’t understand why he chose now. Why you. Why your mother. Why she’s alive when no one else’s mother is,” Kris added pensively.
“He claimed not to be able to find us,” she said.
“Lie,” Rhyn said. “Unless she’s not human. Humans couldn’t hide from him.”
“God, I hope she’s not special,” Stephanie said, distress for her family increasing. “I don’t want them involved in this.”
“We need to know, Rhyn,” Kris said. “Wynn’s eighth child conceived during his second incarnation.”
“Ask Tamer. He’s the research nut,” Rhyn snorted. “I’m taking Katie and Hazel to a different Sanctuary. Toby is shielding them, but I want to be sure they’re out of Wynn’s reach. I’ll come back when I’m done.” He rose.
“Meet at the Caribbean Sanctuary Saturday morning,” Kris directed. “I’ll notify Andre. Rhyn, tell Tamer. Stephanie, drag Kiki away if you have to. It’s time for us all to sit down and hash this out together.”
“It almost sounds like a plan,” Stephanie said somewhat hopefully.
“I’ll know everything I need to by then,” Kris said.
“Steph, summon me if you get in too deep before then,” Rhyn told her.
“Keep in mind Rhyn’s specialty is destruction,” Kris said. “Call him for a situation where ultimate destruction is required.”
“If not, call me anyway.” Rhyn winked. “See you Saturday.”
“Wait, Rhyn!” she called after him. “Has Karma found you by chance?”
“Fuck no. No one has.”
He strode out of the cabin.
Stephanie watched him go, not at all reassured things were going to break any better for her despite the addition of Fate’s wild card to the mix. But at least the six of them were going to sit down and plan how to rid the Immortals of their father. She just had to play along for four more days.
Chapter Nineteen
“M’lord.”
Wynn lifted his gaze from the daily report sent to him by Kiki.
The one-eyed Immortal guard, one of the few people he trusted, looked both ways before whispering the words, “We got her.”
A jolt of satisfaction, mixed with excitement, shot through him. Wynn rose. “Which her exactly?” he asked.
“Karma.”
Any disappointment he experienced knowing his first priority was still missing was smoothed over when he recalled Karma was the sister of one of his primary enemies. “Is she in the special cell?”
“Yeah. She’s asking to see you. She fell for it, like you said.”
“She doesn’t know she can’t portal out?”
“No.”
“She’ll figure it out fast. Keep her occupied,” he advised. “I’ll be right down. Send for my daughter. Bring Stephanie here.”
The guard nodded and left.
Wynn stood in quiet for a moment. For a goddess whose power came from confronting people, Karma had been elusive. He had to assume she knew this was a trap. There was no real way to manipulate Karma or Fate, not when they retained their full power. Fate he’d smashed when he had the opportunity, and Darkyn had taken care of the rest. As long as he kept the deity out of his daughter’s life, he had maneuver room.
But Karma was going to be a different challenge. A dangerous one. The goddess was classified as one of the soul-eating deities, which made her potentially lethal, if she fully understood her power.
He left his study and made his way to the catacombs, through the hallway lined with regular cells, past the chamber where his former body had been imprisoned for a thousand years, and to the area only he was permitted to enter.
Four guards stood nervously outside the cell disguised as an office, where they’d managed to lure the sister of Fate. Wynn touched the wall beside the door. The power of the fortress was stronger than it had been in years, thanks to his healing magic. His power was the only reason the second breach between the mortal world and Hell, caused by the Dark One a year before, had been fixed. The reminder of how long it had taken him, of how weak he was this time around compared to his first incarnation, rendered him far more cautious.
The fortress was strong, the seals on both breaches in place, but he had no way to know if the shield around the office would stand up to a goddess.
“Stay alert,” he instructed them.
Wynn stepped into the office, aware there was a chance he wouldn’t leave it alive, if she proved to be unstable like many deities were. The goddess was pacing at the far side of the room, her curly red hair and light eyes changing colors the moment his energy reached her. Beautiful and rumored to be quick to kill, she was of medium height and build, shapely, and dressed in jeans.
She faced him, and he picked up on everything he needed to know from her simple look.
She knew her power.
She was completely out of control.
“You’re young for a deity,” he said and motioned for her to sit. “How old?”
“I came into power just over a thousand years ago but have been alive longer than either of your lives,” she answered.
She’s a baby. Especially if it were true she’d been trapped in the Underworld for a thousand years. “Your age starts when you assume your duties. By this rationale, I’m older,” he said with a smile. He sat across from her.
“If you seek to toy with me, I will –” She leaned forward, her eyes flashing black.
“Easy,” he said and raised both his hands, staying as still and calm as possible. He picked up on her energy, the not-so-subtle shifts, the restlessness at odds with his quiet power. He was a man of control, and she was a loose cannon of the worst kind. “No one’s toying with you. We’re here to talk.”
She searched his features and stood abruptly, returning to her
pacing. “I want my brother back, Immortal,” she snapped at him.
“That’s not how negotiations work.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I’m a goddess, and you’re … not.” She waved a hand at him dismissively.
“You know I don’t have your brother.”
“I saw what you did to him.” This time, her energy receded around her so fast, it nearly sucked the air from the room.
Wynn remained seated. The goddess was highly unstable, more so than any he’d ever run across in either of his lives. “He and I have a history,” he said. “He killed me the first time around. At least I spared him.”
She rolled her eyes, and her grip on her power loosened once more. “Your people said you had a plan to help me get him out of Hell.”
“A deal,” he corrected her.
She paused in her pacing and tilted her head curiously.
Sensing her relative receptiveness, he crossed to the alcohol staged on the edge of the desk and poured himself a drink. He offered her a glass, but she shook her head. “Are you willing to make a deal with me?” he asked.
She hesitated, scrutinizing his features hard.
Wynn had no doubt as to the stiff warning her brother had probably given her about deals.
“No,” she said finally.
“Even to save your brother?”
Another pause. This time, she frowned, troubled. “He wouldn’t approve.”
“Is his life more important than his approval?”
“Of course it is. But I can’t deal with one of you.”
“Immortals?”
“Ancients.”
“He warned you against me specifically?” Wynn was almost impressed he warranted a by-name mention.
She nodded. “But you can help me, or I’ll balance you,” she said, a predatory gleam in her gaze. “Something tells me you have a lot to atone for.”
“Too much,” he agreed with a small smile. “One day, I’m sure you’ll serve me the justice I deserve. But not today. Today, we’re having a civilized conversation about how to help your brother.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I won’t make a deal with you.”
“Have you been to Hell? Do you know how much worse it is than your cell in the Underworld?”
“Darkyn can’t kill him.”
“So it doesn’t bother you he’s there because of you. Interesting.” He poured another shot of whiskey and sipped it, eyes on hers. His game of patience, of forethought, of control had gotten him this far. She was dangerous, but he had come too far to cower before any goddess.
“What do you mean?”
“You balanced him, for one. It’s the only reason I was able to exact my revenge and Darkyn is doing the same.”
She glared at him. Before she could object, he spoke once more.
“Darkyn’s called in every deity ever to have a bone to pick with your brother. He’s letting everyone torture him. Do you know how many people that is?”
A flicker of worry was in her eyes. Wynn sensed he had her where he wanted her, assuming she remained focused on her brother’s plight.
“It’s pretty much every deity,” he answered. “Your brother has a lot of enemies, and because of you, they’re getting their chance to fuck him up.”
She looked away and began to pace again. “But I’m helping him. Balancing helps people.”
“As long as he survives.”
She tensed.
“You want him to survive, don’t you?”
“Of course I do!” Her emotion was in her eyes and tone, despite the distrust written across her face.
“One deal. It’s all I need to help him,” he lied smoothly.
“What kind of deal?”
“A favor.”
She shook her head.
“What is his life worth to you? Or are you too afraid to deal with me?”
She went still. Wynn glanced up and realized he’d overstepped, confronted her directly instead of keeping the focus on Fate. The predatory look was back. She was young on the scale of deities – but wise enough to understand she had the upper hand.
“His life is worth more than yours,” she growled.
Wynn stayed in place, not about to run when he knew he’d never reach the door before she reached him. He forced himself to remain calm outwardly.
Karma approached and circled him, close enough for her restless energy to graze his skin. “There is no balancing you,” she assessed. “Not that I’d bother trying. I think I’ll just kill you.”
“Is that wise?” he asked softly.
“I don’t give a fuck about wise! Your own daughter fears you, and my brother hates you. I would be pleasing both of them by ending you.”
“And if I told you I’m the only reason the breaches to Hell are closed?”
She stopped in front of him and looked up at him. “I don’t care,” she replied in the same quiet tone. “I’d rather have your soul.”
“Then you’d condemn your brother’s mate to Hell. If I die, the breaches open, and Darkyn claims everyone.”
They stared at one another, neither willing to back down, though he sensed Karma cared for Stephanie, if only because she loved her brother. For a split second, he had the sense he’d met his match when it came to there being no boundary he wouldn’t smash to get what he wanted.
And then she stepped back. “You would do it, wouldn’t you?” she murmured.
“I would,” he replied. “Would you?”
She appeared to be arguing with herself. He didn’t dare relax, not when he couldn’t use his secondary power on a wary deity to play upon her fears.
“Yeah. I would.”
Before he could react, she’d snatched his arm with inhuman speed. Her eyes turned black, and cold fire tore through him.
But he didn’t flinch, didn’t cry out, didn’t panic, no matter what she was doing to his insides, no matter how dark his mind was growing. He stared her down, tense and stiff, unwilling to lose when he was so close to winning.
Her power swirled around them, sucking the air from his lungs.
And then, just when he felt like his body was about to implode, she released him.
Karma retreated, staring at him. Her power pulled away, though the searing coldness remained in his system. His body began to heal itself – but this level of damage was new to him.
Wynn released a breath, uncertain why the goddess hadn’t finished him off. She had the ability and the resolve. She could destroy him too quickly for him to recover.
She wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking.
“Until further notice, you’ll remain here,” he said with calmness he didn’t feel. “If you reconsider my deal, summon a guard.” He turned his back on her and left, sealing the door behind him. “Remember, no on goes in. Communicate through the speaker system,” he told the guards.
They nodded.
Wynn left this wing of the basement. He waited until he was out of sight of any of them to lean against the wall and assess the damage she’d done. Pain rippled through him, and he gritted his teeth against what remained of her power. Five seconds more, and he’d be dead-dead.
Why wasn’t he? Had he grown careless or reckless? He gripped the wrist where she’d grabbed him. Everything was healing, except this wound. It still burned with cold fire. Holding it, he left the catacombs.
He hated mysteries and the unknown or any variable with the potential for unpredictability. Returning to his study, he began scanning through his books for the secret diaries he had created about the deities his first time alive. He had never crossed paths with Karma before, but there was a chance he picked up knowledge about her secondhand, somewhere, sometime.
If there wasn’t a reason for her sparing him in his journals, he’d have to uncover the truth as to why he was still alive another way. Normally capable of discerning a person’s motivation, he was drawing a complete blank with the wild goddess in the catacombs. There was no room for error in his plan; he needed to und
erstand what made her stop.
On the slim chance it was his Immortal power, the ability to heal, he would find a way to use it against her before he subjected her to the wheel and the one-eyed Immortal who headed his interrogation program.
“You wanted to see me.”
He’d forgotten Stephanie. Wynn lowered his hand from the bookcase and turned to face her. With some unease, he realized he wasn’t back to normal from Karma’s attack. His insides were shaky, and sudden movement caused the room to blur and his mind to start to close in on itself again. His power was working hard to fix him, but he wasn’t ready to deal with anyone.
“Um, I can come back,” she said, a terse note in her voice.
“I’ll only take a moment of your time.” With a deep breath, he faced her, his charred wrist behind his back.
Stephanie eyed him. “You look … unwell.”
“It’s been a rough week,” he said. “Have you reconsidered inviting your family here? Our spies say Darkyn is becoming more active. He’s interested in you and might consider your family a target.”
She flushed, and her eyes lit with fire. She spun and started to leave.
“I’m not finished,” he said quietly.
Stephanie froze in the doorway.
Wynn took a moment to assess his options. Stephanie would never reveal the whereabouts of her mother or invite her to the fortress. He was surprised her mother hadn’t made an appearance yet. The amount of stress Stephanie was under from all directions was immense, not to mention the natural rivalry existing between Stephanie’s mate and mother.
He’d increased the pressure on by grabbing and imprisoning Stephanie’s half-sister in the hopes having both girls under his control would drive their Unseen deity mother out of hiding. Still, the goddess was silent. If Fate’s claim, and Wynn’s emergence into Stephanie’s life, hadn’t flushed her out, he was going to have to take more drastic measures.
Measures he didn’t want to, especially not to the daughter he’d always thought he’d wanted.
But … he’d expected this to be the case. He was still disappointed by it, by the discovery Stephanie was everything he had hoped she’d be, just like his sons were. With her soul, she’d be the one child he’d place money on who was capable of carrying on in his place, of keeping the breaches sealed with the magic inherited from him and her mother, and preventing the Immortal society from crumbling.