Fraud (The Frenzy Series Book 5)

by Casey L. Bond

  “You were never loved. Maybe by your siblings, but even without romantic love, you didn’t fear it. Most people who are denied that basic emotion are closed off, or they seal their hearts against it. They think they aren’t deserving of love. But you saw past my bullshit and gave me exactly that, Porschia. You may not have said the words, but you made me feel loved; at a time when I’d never been loved before in my life. Father only wanted me to succeed him in the throne, but other than that I was a waste of his time. Mother was far too busy with her lovers to pay attention to children. We had many caregivers over the years, but they rotated so often that bonds were never formed. However, you, a simple girl in a simple dress, looked at me. You saw me and on some level, you scared the hell out of me because of it.”

  “Love is easy, Tage. It’s life that’s hard.”

  “But it isn’t easy. You befriended an old woman who most people in your Colony had overlooked.”

  “Maggie gave me a chance; a home, comfort, and a bed to sleep in when I needed it. She didn’t give up on me.”

  I could feel him smile, the stubble on his chin catching on the hair at my temple. “But you didn’t give up on her, either. You went into the forest when your sister had just turned into a rotter. You faced your Mother on a daily basis. You protected Ford.”

  I swallowed.

  “I don’t call you ‘kitten’ because of my Father’s obsession with the feline goddesses. I call you ‘kitten’ because kittens are small and afraid, but they don’t hesitate to claw the shit out of a person if they need to.”

  “Did you want to kill me?” I was afraid of his answer. “Ever? Did you ever want to kill me?”

  “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead. And no, I didn’t want to kill you. I wanted to heal you so that I could finally die.”

  “I don’t want you to die.”

  He sighed and hugged me tighter. As much as I needed a moment with him, I had to know. “I need something from you, Tage.”

  “Name it,” he said simply.

  “I need you to convince your sister, and then yourself, to heal me like your seer said you should. I need you to end these curses.”

  “Kitten, it’s not that simple—”

  “It is, though. I won’t live long like this.”

  “The Sand isn’t bad. You’ll see. I’ll make sure you have everything you’ve ever needed or could ever want.”

  I shook my head. “I feel myself dying. The vampire side is in control at present, but it won’t stay afloat for long. I’m going to fall prey to the Infection, Tage. Sooner rather than later. And when I do, I’ll die, and you won’t have me to heal. You won’t have me to erase your curse with. I know it’s selfish...” my voice broke, “but I just want to live and be normal. I want a normal life, in the Colony, with my family.”

  I cried then, my voice trembling with emotion and need. “I want to get married one day and have children; to have a chance to be the mother mine wasn’t. I want a life, not just an existence, Tage, and only you and your sister can give that to me. I’m begging you,” I said, grabbing his hand. Bloody tears splashed onto his skin and his mouth opened as if to say something in reply.

  No words fell from his lips, but his lips fell on mine all the same. Warm and harsh, needy and sweet-tasting. Our hands were a flurry of want and they couldn’t get enough of what they searched for and found. His hands turned my body to face his. His fingers disappeared beneath my skirt, the fabric bunching in my lap.

  My breath fanned his ear as I peppered kisses down the strong column of his throat, reveling in the gravelly noises that came from within his chest.

  “Don’t stop me,” he pleaded.

  “I won’t,” I promised, standing and pulling my dress over my head. His gasp filled the room.

  He pulled me into his lap, pulling me as close as our bodies would allow, molding my flesh with his. We spent hours reveling in the feel of one another, my hands gripping his hair, his shoulders, his back. He worshipped every part of me, his fingertips rough but his touch soft.

  At the end of the night, as the sun rose and we lay together staring at the ceiling of his small cottage, Tage was quiet. Finally, his thumb brushed my shoulder and he said, “I think I know how to stay alive and heal you at the same time.”

  I swallowed thickly. “Really?”

  “Really. I would do anything for you, kitten. Anything in my power.”

  I nodded against his chest. “You love me,” I cried.

  “I do, and you love me, too,” he said softly.

  “I do.”

  His sharp inhalation said it all.

  My fingers tightened on his side. “Are you sure?”

  “We’ll soon find out,” he said.

  I took her back to the tent, thinking that we’d been stealthy enough to avoid detection. She straightened her dress before I landed her back inside the tent, but everyone but Ford was already wide awake and wondering where the hell Porschia had gone. I left her to fend for herself in the middle of a storm of shouts and gestures, because I needed to speak with Sekhmet immediately.

  She was waiting for me in her tent. “You’ve been busy, brother,” she greeted dryly.

  “I’ve been thinking,” I lied.

  “Would you like to discuss?”

  I sat on the couch across from hers. “How strong is your magic?” I asked.

  “Stronger than anything you can imagine. Stronger than yours,” she bragged.

  Ignoring the jab, I asked, “What if we can have it both ways? If we cure Porschia, I mean.” I paused at this, because Sekhmet began to growl and pace the floor.

  “Haven’t we already been through this?”

  “Yes, but if we heal her and through her, heal the nations, they will love us far more than if we just heal individuals of our choosing. If we go that route, they’ll think we’re tyrants. However, if we heal them all at once, they’ll know our power.”

  She shook her head, throwing her hands up. “If we heal her, we die, Tageset. End of story for you and me. No empire, no kingdom, no adoration.”

  “You think you’re too weak,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

  “I am not weak at all,” she challenged.

  “If we heal the world, we can rule it. Think about it, sister. We’re stronger than any spell the sorcerers could conjure back then. We can preserve our lives.” I left her standing there, pondering the words I’d just sent her. Sekhmet was a woman, and a stubborn one at that. If she was like any of the others I’d met over the years, telling her she couldn’t do something was the surest way to get her to do exactly that.

  “Where did he take you?” Saul yelled.

  “Are you hurt?” Mercedes chimed in.

  Ford was awakened by the noise and immediately jumped in; yelling something unintelligible, laden with curses and talks about killing anyone who hurt his sister.

  Roman was quietly watching, perched on the footboard of his bed.

  Suddenly, the room changed again. The beds disappeared and couches took their place. Roman fell onto a lavish carpet now spread beneath him.

  All of our clothing changed, too. Mercedes and I wore garments much like Sekhmet’s; gauzy dresses baring our stomachs, split up to our thighs, the fabric wrapping around to barely cover our breasts. My fabric was gold and hers was a deep green, like needles on a dark pine.

  The guys looked dumbstruck. “We’re wearing skirts,” Ford finally said, looking down at his new garment. They all wore black fabric, held together and up with a threaded gold belt.

  Mercedes snorted. “They actually look pretty hot. Not Ford, of course, but Roman and Saul? Damn.”

  They did. The garments showed off their toned calves and abdomens. Roman was super pale, but his dark hair made it work somehow. And Saul hadn’t lost all of his tan since he’d changed. He was still handsome as ever.

  Ford was still preoccupied with checking out what he looked like, but the other guys were staring at us. Roman was undressing my sister with his eye
s and Saul wouldn’t stop looking at me. It made me squirm a little, especially after the events of just a few hours ago.

  I whispered to Cedes, “Why is Roman looking at you like that?”

  The only answer I received was a growl.

  Sekhmet interrupted everything, as usual. “You look perfect now,” she greeted with a clap of her hands. “And now, I have wonderful news for some of you.”

  “Do tell,” Mercedes said sweetly. She almost fooled me.

  “My brother and I have decided to heal you, but also to use our magic to prevent death from taking us, as the seer foretold.”

  The five of us looked at one another. “I don’t like this,” Saul whispered quietly.

  “Can they really stop death?” Ford asked. His eyes darted around to each of us, finally landing on Sekhmet when she spoke again.

  “Yes, Ford. I believe we are much more powerful than the seer from our time would have been able to understand.”

  “What’s in it for you?” Roman finally spoke. “If you heal Porschia and make both curses go away...”

  “Porschia bears both curses. Through her, we will fulfill the prophecy by curing her and subsequently ridding the world of both plagues. Then, from out of the ashes, the phoenix can rise. My brother and I will take full credit and rule the world. It’s brilliant, really. We will have the love and gratefulness of the people and be powerful enough to strike down any who oppose us. That’s also a perk.” Sekhmet smiled and held out a hand for me. “Please come.”

  Mercedes grabbed my arm, preventing me from moving. “Can we go with her?”

  “Oh, you will want front row seats for this, I can assure you.”

  Saul stepped in front of me. “What if she refuses to be a part of this craziness?”

  Sekhmet smiled. “She has no choice.”

  “There’s always a choice,” Roman said, nudging Saul. In unison they leapt forward, attacking her, gnashing their fangs at her, but some force held them away and then slammed them both into the wall to our left. They hit with an “Ooof!” and dropped to the floor groaning. Roman was the first to speak. “Well that didn’t go how I planned.”

  Sekhmet stalked forward and grabbed my free hand. My sister tried to pull me away from her, but it was no use. Then Ford jumped in, trying to help give Mercedes some leverage, and I became a rope in a battle of tug-of-war. However, the loud pop of my shoulder indicated that Sekhmet won. My siblings dropped my free arm as soon as they heard the popping noise, but Sekhmet only laughed as I sucked in a sharp, shrill breath.

  “AAAH!” I cried out, falling to the floor, and Mercedes and Ford went to their knees with me. “It’s out of place,” I gritted out. I’d seen it once before with Meg when she fell off her porch and landed wrong, dislocating her shoulder. It took two adults to hold her down, and another to jerk the appendage back into place. I remembered her screams. Mine were the same.

  Looking curiously at me, Sekhmet bent down and hovered her hand over my shoulder. It slowly and painfully retracted, mending itself. The bone was soon back in its socket and I panted from relief of the pain.

  “Are you not going to thank me? What has happened to manners in this world?”

  “Thank you,” I choked out.

  Sekhmet extended her hand again. “I would hate to start hurting your friends. Please come with me so we can avoid any other calamities.”

  I placed my hand in hers and let her help me up. Mercedes and Ford rose from the floor and Roman and Saul tried to pull themselves up; following behind us guardedly. As we walked, our tent was transformed. No longer supported with fabric walls, but stone columns as tall as three houses and a roof of stone. Large statues of people wearing headdresses, crossing their hearts with staffs and whips, graced the corridors.

  “That is a likeness of my father. Most pharaohs did not know magic. They had sorcerers and seers, but most could not perform magic themselves. They simply surrounded themselves with it for protection. My father valued it very much. He had no power of his own, but he married well. Nefertari, our mother, was descended from the most powerful sorcerers in our land. She could perform the incantations and read the scripts from the Book of the Dead that most people would never see. A powerful priestess, she was also one that many priests were terrified of. She once brought a boy back to life. He drowned in the river Nile and his mother brought his lifeless body straight to the palace because her power was known throughout the land. It was feared.”

  “Why didn’t they carve statues of her?” I asked. Looking over my shoulder, I saw my friends and family walking behind us. Saul nodded. I gave him a slight shake of the head, hoping he knew not to try anything again.

  “They did, but most have long since returned to the earth,” she said.

  Maybe Tage was able to get through to her. Maybe I really would be cured.

  Sekhmet was quiet for a moment. The sounds of our bare feet on the stone tiles were all that could be heard, a shuffling murmur echoing through the place. Torches began to flicker to life around us as we walked deeper into the structure, into the darkness and away from the natural light.

  “Where’s Tage?”

  “Tageset will meet us in a moment,” she said. “My brother wants to be with you forever. You may have magic in your blood for the ways in which you have bewitched him. That has never been an easy task for any woman he’s had.”

  That was a low blow. I knew he’d had other women. Obviously. I mean, I knew he was old, but did I really need to hear it, right after we...were intimate?

  She knew, and she didn’t like it. And I bet Tage wasn’t going to meet us anywhere. She was going to kill us all.

  Turning to the others, I mouthed the word, “Run.”

  With the heel of my palm, I jammed her jaw upward, a loud crack echoing through the room. I jumped on her and began hitting her face, and then I sank my fangs into her neck. Instantly I was lifted into the air. With a flick of her wrist, she turned me around and around in a circle. “I thought we were finally getting along, Porschia, and then you go and upset me.” She spat blood onto the stones on the floor.

  Dizziness set in. Around and around and around she spun me.

  “You were planning to kill us!” I screamed.

  “I was going to heal you, but now I might have changed my mind!” she roared, shifting back into the enormous black cat. “I will devour you, and then you cannot hurt me or my brother ever again!”

  “Tage!” Mercedes yelled, and then they all started yelling for him. When he appeared beside them, Mercedes pointed to me. Sekhmet sped up the spinning until I saw black, and then I felt nothing at all.

  “Sekhmet!” I yelled, my voice booming against the vast space. She changed back into her true form immediately.

  “What?”

  “Control yourself! If we are going to succeed at this, you have to focus and control your emotions.”

  From behind, I heard Roman whispering. Hazarding a glance, I saw that he was talking to Mercedes.

  “If female vamps are more powerful, they’re crazier, out of control,” he whispered. Mercedes’ face never changed, but she elbowed him hard in the ribs. It didn’t deter him. He just smiled and continued. “What if Sekhmet is more powerful than our boy, Tage?”

  “She isn’t,” Mercedes answered confidently, crossing her arms in defiance.

  I hoped she was right, but I had my doubts at this point. I’ve been able to rein her in so far, but what if she really snapped? Could I stop her if she wanted them dead?

  Porschia rubbed her temples as we walked through the remains of the temple. Her head was throbbing. I could hear the blood whooshing through the veins and arteries on her head. My sister was reckless. She could have hurt her. However, as I looked at Porschia, she seemed to be okay other than the pounding headache as she marveled at the sight of the temple. And truly it was grander than anything she’d seen in her lifetime, but it wasn’t as grand as it was during mine. What was once smooth and colorful was now rough and chipped away,
the colors faded by time.

  “Would you like to see what this place looked like when we were children?” I asked the others, nudging my sister. We could bring it back to life.

  The two of us joined hands and chanted the incantation to reverse the effects of age. A breeze blew, swirling between us, then around us and spiraling outward. When we opened our eyes, the place was transformed.

  “Whoa,” Ford drawled. “This is...”

  “Beautiful,” Porschia said, staring at the hieroglyphs, now in stunning color all around her.

  “Come,” Sekhmet said, leading the way into the heart of the temple. Soon we were inside, the torches already lit. The room of offerings was even more intricately painted, a midnight sky overhead with thousands of stars. Around us were weighty incantations, ones that Sekhmet believed would also help us remain alive. But I knew they wouldn’t. Once we cured Porschia, my sister and I would die. It was part of the bargain struck. No gift, no cure, was without sacrifice.

  It was why Mercedes, Roman, and Saul couldn’t be cured again. They turned once and the choice was not theirs, and so the cure worked. It healed them. However, when they turned a second time, voluntarily choosing to become vampires, the choice was made and the results were as good as set in stone. No longer could they be healed. I hadn’t told Porschia that, because if we succeeded in curing her, their curses would still end along with everyone else’s. It wasn’t necessary to worry her if we could end it all anyway.

  “Porschia?” I said.

  “Yeah.”

  “I need you to lay on this stone.”

  Her eyes searched mine, scared.

  “It’s an offering table. We have to do this the ancient way, or else it won’t work.” I moved in close, brushing a kiss over her lips. “I would never hurt you.”

  “Just like you’d never lie to her?” Saul asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Porschia glanced at him, but swallowed thickly and placed her hand in mine. I threw a smirk at Saul for good measure. He didn’t know that he was about to get a major leg up on me. He’d been chasing Porschia since the first rotation. We both had. At one point he was ahead, and then I was. Soon, I wouldn’t even be in the running. Roman just shook his head, and I thought Ford was going to pounce on me. The kid was not happy.