Fate Forsaken

by Chauntelle Baughman

  Or maybe she was nervous because she’d been saddled with his death mark. Who knew?

  There it was.

  The tiny stone cottage sat off the path, basked in the light of old-time street lamps surrounding the property, so bright they practically simulated sunshine. Its rose-colored slate roof showcased three petite dormer windows. The flowers were dormant for the winter, but the garden remained green and full. Brown shutters flanked the main windows, the massive hand-carved door dwarfing the rest of the house. Absolutely nothing about this place had changed since the last time he’d been here.

  Except him.

  He wasn’t the person he’d been years ago. Hell, he wasn’t even the person he’d been before Rho. They’d only been together a short time, and already she’d changed him somehow. Making him stronger. Making him stand taller. Making him burn with the need to protect her, no matter the cost. This visit couldn’t go well.

  “This is it,” he muttered as he tugged Rho along, leading her up the four stone steps toward the front door. He reached out and punched the doorbell. At the sound of the buzz, he stared at his feet.

  Holy shit, he was really doing this. He was bringing his girlfriend to his ex-girlfriend’s house. Like an idiot. An eternity passed before the lock clicked over. The doorknob turned. And the carved door cracked open.

  A gasp sounded, and he knew it was her. With a gulp, he lifted his head and met those familiar eyes. His stomach sank to his feet.

  “Eldon?” Her voice was soft, riddled with shock as her wide eyes surveyed him from the other side of the door.

  So this was what the twilight zone felt like.

  The house hadn’t changed, and neither had she. Shoulder-length, curly blond hair framed her face, and narrowed slits revealed deep blue eyes. Her skin was nearly as fair as Rho’s, but her cheeks were flushed with pink.

  Rho’s cheeks couldn’t flush. Not that it made any difference to him.

  “Eldon?” Trinador repeated.

  Rho yanked his arm and snapped him back into reality.

  He cleared his throat. “Uh, Trinador, hi.” Brilliant. Fucking brilliant. Way to make this less awkward.

  “Hi.” Trinador’s voice went from shock to flat in under a second, telling him exactly where he stood with her. Not good at all.

  “We were in town.” He tried to keep his eyes in line with hers, but the way she stared daggers at him, it wasn’t easy. “I wanted to stop by and see if you could help me with something.”

  “You were in town.”

  “Yeah.”

  “In Paris.”

  He nodded.

  Trinador clearly wasn’t buying it. In all fairness, he was doing a pretty shitty job of selling it. The wall around her emotional grid was locked down, a fortress of emotional defenses surrounding her. When they’d been together, he’d always been able to read her so easily. Now, it was as if they’d never met.

  “We’re here for some Council business.” He diverted his eyes from her furious glare and glanced up at the familiar house. “Thought we’d stop by.”

  “For my help.” Her tone was filled with disbelief and colored with anger, and he couldn’t blame her. “You just so happen to be in Paris, and you just so happen to swing by my house. And now you want my help.”

  “Pretty much.” He felt like an ass, but it was all he could say.

  Rho shifted nervously behind him, as if she picked up Trinador’s angry vibes and was uncomfortable with the sensation. Shit, maybe he should have come here alone.

  “Who’s this?” Trinador’s gaze was about as soft as a steel blade as she stared behind him.

  “I’m Rho.” Shoulders squared, Rho emerged from behind him to stand at his side. “His…girlfriend.”

  Eldon arched a brow but didn’t turn his head. Rho never used that word. He’d been mildly annoyed when she’d told him she didn’t want to define their relationship, but he hadn’t wanted to push the issue. It had been hard enough to get her just to admit they had one.

  Trinador’s eyes went wide then traveled down to their joined hands. “Eldon, can you come inside for a second?” It wasn’t a request.

  He nodded and stepped through the doorway she held open.

  Rho took a step forward beside him, and Trinador held up a hand.

  “Not you, sweetheart.” Trinador’s expression was icy as her eyes locked with Rho’s. “You stay right there.” Rho opened her mouth but Trinador slammed the door shut, leaving the vampire on the porch.

  Oh, hell. Rho was going to be flaming pissed.

  “That was rude,” he said.

  Trinador dug her fingers into his arm and pulled him into the kitchen before she wheeled around to face him, pointing a finger to his chest. “Are you kidding me? Is this a joke?”

  “I need your help.”

  She drew a jagged breath, holding herself together seemingly by sheer will. “You break up with me three years ago by just disappearing, don’t call me once, and then you have the audacity to wander back to my home, toting your girlfriend along with you, and ask me for help?” Her eyes were spitting fire and her pointing finger shook. “You have a lot of nerve, asshole.”

  “I wouldn’t have come to you if I could think of another way, but I couldn’t. You’re all I’ve got.” It was the absolute truth. He’d told himself he’d only turn to Trinador as a last resort, but now he was there. His sisters had been searching his family’s records ever since she’d been hit with a death mark, and they’d found jack shit.

  “Well, it must be a doozie. God knows you wouldn’t want to stop by and say hello just to be a nice guy.” Her eyes narrowed. She took a step toward him and tilted her chin up to glare at him, fearless. “Get out of my house.”

  Shit. “Please, Trinador. I’m…I need your help. You’re our only hope.”

  She squeezed her hands into tight fists, her lips two thin white slashes. The silence stretched between them until he wanted to scream, but he didn’t say a word. He’d allow her to collect her thoughts. He owed her that much. Her eyes raked over his body, as if she were recalling the memories they’d shared together.

  For the life of him, he couldn’t recall one with her. They’d been together for a whole year, a long time in his dating record book, and nothing. Nada. Just like the others, she’d cast no impression in the fabric of his memories.

  Which only made him feel like more of an asshole. Man, he wanted to kick his own ass.

  Her nostrils flared. “What do you need?”

  He blew out a long breath. “When I was on…Council business, I was hit with a death mark.” He pointed toward the front door. “Jess translocated it to the girl on your porch while I was unconscious, thinking as a vampire it wouldn’t affect her as strongly. But I’m not so sure. We have to remove it, and I can’t figure out how.”

  “You want me to emulate the spell and reverse it.” Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

  “If you can.” He wasn’t sure it was even possible. “I understand if you can’t, but this is my last shot. I don’t know what else to do.”

  She studied him for a moment before turning away. As she glided over to a granite table in the entryway, he followed her, reminded of how graceful she’d always been.

  Delicate fingers stroked the top of the table as she spoke. “You left me with nothing. Not a note. Not a goodbye. Just nothing.”

  “I’m sorry. I never should have left like that.” He didn’t regret their breakup, but he wasn’t about to dwell on it. “I need your help. Please.”

  “Why should I help you?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t. After everything I’ve done to you, I understand if you say no. But Rho is innocent in all of this. She took a death mark to save my life, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep her alive.”

  She glanced over her shoulder then turned to face him. With graceful strides, she approached the front door and set her hand on the knob. “You only want to help her because she saved you?”
>
  “I won’t lie to you. I do care for her.”

  “You have feelings for a…bloodsucker?”

  “I don’t care what she is.” He eyed the door. “She matters to me.”

  Trinador tilted her head, a blond lock tumbling over her shoulder. A long moment passed before she answered. “You’ve changed.”

  “Please, Trinador. I don’t know what I can say to you to convince you to do this, but all I can do is ask. Please.”

  Her gaze fell to the ground as she slowly shook her head. When she raised her eyes to meet his, his heart filled with hope. “You’ll owe me for this.”

  “Name the price.”

  “I will. I don’t know what it will be yet, but trust me. I will.”

  Rho stood on the other side of the door, pissed as hell. She was a person, damn it, not a dog who’d piddled on the rug. And it was fricking cold out here.

  She surveyed the dormant garden, her thoughts traveling to the shock in that girl’s face—Trinador. The one they’d told her possessed the gift of emulation.

  Eldon had definitely slept with her. More than once.

  She wasn’t sure how she knew, but something about their confrontation made it obvious they’d been way more than friends. Even more evident by the surprise in Trinador’s eyes, Eldon clearly hadn’t told the woman they were coming. And obviously the woman didn’t want to see him.

  That bridge hadn’t just burned. It had been H-bombed.

  Rho ran a hand through her hair. Damn if this week wasn’t just full of awkward, uncomfortable moments. It would be far more tolerable if Trinador were an ugly hag, but no. She was beautiful. Not just your average, run-of-the-mill, girl-next-door beautiful, either. The girl was top-model material, gorgeous and stick-thin and graceful. Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect body.

  Kinda made Rho want to stab something.

  She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. From the first day of their relationship, she’d fought that “g” word. To her, the term “girlfriend” sounded juvenile and unimportant. Her relationship with Eldon was neither. Now her vampish territorialism was off the map. She wanted to have her way with him right on this porch stoop, just to make a point. How romantic.

  The front door swung open. Eldon stood in the doorway, sporting a grim smile. “Sorry about that. Come on in.”

  Irritated and cold, Rho glared at Eldon and marched from the porch into the house. His expression was sympathetic, but she ignored it. He had some serious explaining to do.

  The heat from the house warmed her instantly, so she shrugged off her coat. Eldon snatched the wool trench from her hands and hung it in on a rack in the entryway. She turned away from him to glance at the room.

  Okaaay. This girl was weird.

  Every wall was a brilliant mural, all patterns and random swipes of paint with no real direction. The far wall was covered in clocks, half of them broken and frozen in time, the others ticking incessantly. Random crystals hung from the ceiling, scattered around the house in no particular order.

  How on earth could all that ticking not drive her nuts? Rho wanted to slam her head into the wall and she’d only been there a few seconds.

  Shoving the irritating clatter aside, she followed Eldon into the kitchen and tried not to gawk at the scenery. This house could be out of a trippy movie set.

  Trinador glared at Rho from behind the kitchen table where she sat. “Eldon tells me you have a death mark.” Her tone gave away her irritation, making the awkward situation even more unbearable.

  Rho stopped beside the table. “Do you think you can help me?”

  Eldon placed his hand on her lower back, heat radiating from his touch.

  “Maybe.” The slender woman rose from her seat and slinked around the table, sizing up Rho with critical eyes. “Your aura is definitely tainted. I’ve never worked a spell against a polluted aura before.”

  Great. Nothing like a little boost of confidence before you let someone test magickal skills on you like a lab rat. “Do you think you can fix it?”

  “I can try.”

  The window over the kitchen sink showcased a lush backyard, lit up with strands of Christmas lights. If this woman decorated all of this herself, she had an interesting mind. Nothing flowed together, yet somehow it all…worked.

  “I’ll need to cast an identification spell to see exactly what was used against you.” Trinador followed Rho’s stare into the garden. “The possibility exists that the spell was tainted when it was transferred to you, so I need to rule that out.”

  Rho met the woman’s eyes. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Just stand there. Don’t move.”

  Eldon stepped into Rho’s line of sight, lifting her chin with his finger. “I’m going to stay with you while she does it, but I can’t touch you or I’ll mess up the results. I’ll be here the whole time.”

  “Okay.” She was glad he wasn’t leaving. This woman didn’t seem to like Rho any more than the other women in his life did, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be a guinea pig without a little supervision in the room.

  Eldon stepped into the far corner, exactly where Rho could still see him but he wouldn’t be in the way. He gave her a half-smile, but she didn’t return the favor. They were going to have a talk when they got out of this place. He should never have taken her to meet his ex-girlfriend without at least giving them both a heads up. Talk about a shitty stunt.

  Trinador lifted her left hand. Her palm was only inches away from Rho’s forehead, the gesture snapping Rho back into reality.

  The emulator’s right hand wove intricate patterns into the air as her left remained near Rho’s face. She murmured softly, “Qui vos a, ubi sunt a.” With a dramatic gesture, she flicked her right hand toward the ground. “Cognosco!”

  Trinador’s eyes went wide as she stared at Rho then she shuddered.

  Oh, that couldn’t be good. “What is it?”

  “Definitely a death mark.”

  Well, duh. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Because it has a timeline connected to it. I’ve only ever read about this, never actually seen it.”

  Rho vaguely recognized Eldon stepping out of the corner. She gulped. “And?”

  Brows furrowed, Trinador glanced at Eldon then Rho. “You have a month, tops.”

  The words hit Rho like a stack of bricks. Even though she’d been preparing herself and didn’t regret her decision to take the mark, hearing the actual timeline forced her heart to her feet.

  A month. Only recently had she recognized her relationship with Eldon for what it truly was. Thirty days was hardly enough time for her to explore the possibilities that remained. They hadn’t been on a vacation together. Or gone out for a fancy night on the town. Or finished their mission.

  She’d told Eldon earlier he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but obviously she should have been saying that to herself. Had she truly thought her vampire nature could circumvent the spell? Did she think she was going to live forever?

  She had. And she wasn’t ready to give her life up yet. Especially now that she had so much more to live for.

  “Can you fix it?” Eldon grabbed onto Rho’s shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. Her expression must have given away her fears because he held on to her so tightly she could barely breathe. Not that she needed to.

  His arms were the only things keeping her together. This woman—who had clearly slept with Eldon and in all likelihood hated her—was the only person they could turn to. She might be able to fix whatever had been done.

  “I’ll need to do a complete reading,” Trinador said.

  “Do it.” Rho’s voice was muffled as she spoke against Eldon’s chest, but she hoped it came out strong. The sour stench of jealousy touched her nostrils, reminding her that she was hardly acting appropriately considering Eldon and Trinador’s history.

  “It’s going to take a couple of hours.”

  Rho pulled gently away from Eldon to glance at the wo
man who held Rho’s life in her hands. “Whatever it takes. Just do it.”

  Trinador nodded slightly and disappeared into another room.

  Rho settled her head back into Eldon’s chest, tugging at his waist to get him even closer while Trinador was gone. He always grounded her. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of him, allowing his essence to sink into her skin. God, she wasn’t ready to give him up. She’d just gotten him.

  “I’m not going to give you up, either,” Eldon murmured in her ear. Their telepathic connection wasn’t open, but it didn’t need to be. The fears were very real in both their minds.

  She traced her nails along his spine. “Do you think she can fix it?”

  “We can only ask her to try.”

  They couldn’t ask for anything more.

  Trinador stepped back through the doorway, arms full of a myriad of jars, baggies, and boxes. Eldon and Rho quickly released their holds on each other and rushed to Trinador’s side to help, snagging various items and setting them on the countertop.

  “Thanks.” Trinador unloaded the last items in her arms onto the flat surface. With quick hands, she started to organize the various items, which appeared to be spell ingredients. “You ready to try this?”

  No. “Sure. Let’s do it.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Eldon watched Trinador with anxious eyes. She sorted through the items on the table efficiently, laying them out in the order she’d require them.

  He shook his head, silently cursing himself. He’d shown up on Trinador’s front door and all but begged for her help, and here she stood. In her kitchen. Trying to figure out how to trace a death mark.

  For him. He rubbed a hand on his chest, the guilt making it harder to breathe. She deserved so much better.

  “Stand here,” Trinador ordered to Rho and pointed at the ground.

  He gave Rho a slight nod, and she trudged to the empty space in the center of the kitchen. Rho shifted her weight, ready to bolt. He couldn’t blame her. This whole damn thing set him on edge, too.