League of Vampires Box Set: Books 4-6 (League of Vampires Box Sets Book 2)

by Rye Brewer

  I came close to congratulating her for being such a genius. But I refused to make a fool of myself, for Stark or anybody.

  “That’s right.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” She smiled at Stark, an almost simpering smile.

  He was oblivious. Typical of a man. “I’ll take Sara to one of the cottages,” he said. “But we’ll be back once we’ve had the chance to rest for a little while.”

  “I’ll be here—but you knew that, or else you wouldn’t have come here first.”

  Oh, the smug familiarity in her voice. She thought she knew him so well. Maybe she did. Maybe I’d never had a chance to begin with and had only been fooling myself. I was nothing compared to this tall, beautiful, powerful, self-possessed witch.

  I managed to wait until we were alone in one of the dark, tiny little cottages closest to the castle before turning on him. I barely had time to look around or take in my surroundings before it all came rushing out.

  “Were you going to tell me about your past with her?” I slid the hood of my robe from over my head then let the wet garment fall to the floor. I didn’t care if it got dirty at that moment. I only cared about one thing.

  Stark started a fire with a sweep of his hand, and his expression in the light from the flames was tense—and a little confused. “What? What past?”

  “Oh, Stark. Spare me. I saw the way she stared at you. The way she touched you. Like you belonged to her.”

  To his credit, he managed to hold back a laugh. “Please. There was never anything between us. Are you going to let that get in the way of what needs to be done now?” He picked my robes up from the floor and hung them over the back of a chair, close to the fire. Steam rose up from the fabric.

  “Never anything? You’re sure about that?” I asked, suspicious.

  “Even if there was, it wouldn’t matter now.”

  “Evasive answer.”

  “I’ve already told you there was nothing,” he said, growing exasperated as he removed his own robes and hung them up to dry by the fire. “I refuse to have an argument with you over this, when there isn’t anything to argue about.”

  “Why does she act as though there was a past, then?”

  He shrugged. “Why don’t you ask her? Because I certainly don’t know. Anything between us is all in Elewyn’s imagination. I’ve never had feelings for her, not for a minute. You can believe that.”

  And I did believe him. I believed he meant it. I didn’t, however, believe Elewyn would be particularly kind to me once she knew there was something happening with Stark.

  In fact, thinking back on the look in her eyes and the way she’d let her hands linger on his arms, I wondered if she’d want to teach me at all.

  After all, I was her competition.

  34

  Anissa

  Scott scrutinized Hallowthorn Landing with as much interest as I had when I’d first arrived. It was definitely a world apart from the one he knew. It occurred to me he hadn’t done nearly as much traveling between worlds and dimensions as I had. He’d been removed from so much of what we’d done since our first meeting.

  I wasn’t interested in looking around. I wanted to find my parents, if they were still here. I didn’t think Gregor would leave with anything resembling haste—he was too happy to be with Mom again. Sure enough, the two of them sat near the water, on a bench by a pair of fishing boats which bobbed up and down in time with the gentle waves.

  Mom’s face lit up when she saw me—no, I guess it was already lit up from the inside. She was happy, too. I was so glad to have brought the two of them back together. The first thing she noticed was my ring. Just like a mother.

  “He moves quickly, doesn’t he?” She laughed gently as she examined the antique setting. “It’s very beautiful. Exactly what you deserve.”

  Gregor came over to admire it, too, smiling and giving his approval in a gruff voice. As close as I would get to approval from him.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Mom said. “I was about to go to Sara’s room to leave her a note, letting her know I’ll be staying in Avellane for a while.”

  “Really?” I glanced at my father, who looked like he was about to burst with glee.

  She nodded, also brimming over with gladness. Her eyes shone like they were lit from within. “I only have to go back to ShadesRealm to collect a few things first.”

  “Don’t you need Allonic to create a portal into ShadesRealm?”

  She shook her head.

  “Will you be creating a portal of your own?”

  Another head-shake. “I don’t need a portal, and I don’t have the skills to create one, so it’s a good thing I don’t need one. There’s an entrance near a cave. I can enter through there from the human world and course to the tower, then course back and return to the human world. I know where the entrance to Avellane is—near the league headquarters.”

  “That’s right.” I remembered the cave; that was the way Jonah took me into Sanctuary the first time, so long ago. Felt like ages ago.

  “I’ll be waiting for her there, at the entrance to Avellane,” Gregor promised, then shot Mom a dissatisfied expression. “I would much rather go to ShadesRealm with her…”

  “And I’ve already told you, that would be too dangerous.”

  “I agree,” I added, remembering the trouble we’d already been through. “The shades are very particular about who they allow into their realm. It’s best she goes alone.”

  He shrugged, though it was grudging. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  And that was the closest we would get to him agreeing with us. I knew I’d have to take what I could get.

  Mom stroked my hair with her usual, gentle touch. I would never get tired of feeling that. “I can’t wait to arrange your wedding,” she said, her voice soft with wonder. “I never thought I would get the chance to say that, much less to look forward to doing it. My little girl, getting married.”

  “Not so little anymore,” I reminded her with a smile.

  “You’ll always be little to your parents,” Gregor reminded me, appearing just as thrilled as Mom did.

  I couldn’t ask for more. I gave Mom one more tight hug, holding her as close as I could. There was so much more for us to do together. I could hardly wait.

  Fane and Scott approached us.

  Fane cleared his throat. “Are you ready to move on?” The impatience in his voice was obvious.

  “Wait a minute. I haven’t seen Sara yet. I told you, I don’t want to go anywhere without seeing her first. I need to know she’s all right.” Scott was adamant.

  I was surprised he’d been silent all this time.

  Mom peered at him over my shoulder. While she didn’t know him, she spoke with gentle understanding. “She’s been very busy with her training, even I’ve barely had the chance to see her.”

  “Training?” Scott asked, more confused than ever.

  I winced.

  He had no idea, but Mom didn’t know that. Rather than waiting for her to explain, he asked another question.

  “You’re just going to leave her alone here and go to Avellane?”

  “I trust Stark. He’ll take care of her.”

  I winced again as Scott’s emotions wrote themselves all over his face. “Who’s Stark?” he asked in a cold voice.

  “Her teacher.” Mom was still unaware of exactly what she was saying—of who Scott was to Sara, or rather, who he’d been to her. Who he still thought he was.

  For all I knew, things were still the same between them, but there was no way of telling until I spoke to my sister. Much of her life had changed.

  Regardless, there’d been something in Mom’s voice, maybe in the way she hesitated a beat before speaking, that told me she was aware of something different between Sara and this Stark person. Something complicated. Only I would’ve noticed the slight hesitation. Maybe Gregor, too, but he didn’t know what had already passed between Sara and Scott.

  “Why does she need a teacher
?” Scott asked, raising his voice. “Why is she even in this area? It’s for witches, isn’t it? Why would she be training here? Training for what? What could they teach her?”

  “Scott, I know this is a lot to take in all at once,” I said, hoping to get through to him before he really blew his stack. “It’s a long story, but I’m sure Sara will tell you all about it someday.”

  He wasn’t satisfied by a long shot, but Fane’s hand on his shoulder was a silent reminder there were other things to be concerned about. Like the reason we’d left the high-rise in the first place. He remained silent, though it was obvious he was stewing.

  Felicity, who I’d forgotten was even there—she was good at fading into the background and being discreet—stepped up.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Mom, and I guessed she was going to create the portal which would take her back to the human world. Mom nodded and gave me another hug before stepping into the swirling light. She paused to smile one more time at Gregor before she did, and he appeared as though he were the happiest man alive.

  “We’d better go, too,” Felicity reminded him, tugging his sleeve.

  We exchanged a single, private look—both of us grinning over Gregor’s obvious excitement, the way a single smile from my mother could turn him into a fluttery, lovestruck boy all over again.

  I gave him a brief hug and said goodbye to Felicity before the two of them stepped through another portal, on their way to Avellane.

  All I could do was silently wish my parents luck and happiness—as I knew they wished the same for me.

  35

  Anissa

  “Now, are we ready to go?” Fane asked, more impatient than ever. I gave him credit for waiting as long as he had.

  “You mean you didn’t enjoy spending time with your future in-laws?” I asked grinning.

  “That is quite a stretch,” Fane replied, with a grin of his own. At least he was willing to joke with me.

  “I’m glad the two of you are having such a good time,” Scott fumed.

  With my parents away, he felt free to go back to being angry. I felt sorry for him, but I also had very little patience for his attitude.

  Clearly, I wasn’t alone.

  “Come with me. Both of you.” Fane put an arm around his youngest son’s shoulder and led us both to the same bench where my parents had been sitting together when we arrived. He sat Scott down and waited until I was seated before he said, “Scott. We need to talk about this.”

  “About what?” Scott was obviously in no mood to play along.

  “You know what I’m talking about. Sara. You’ve been on edge ever since we met up back at the high-rise, and all over this girl. Perhaps it would be wise to take a step back, regroup, and wait things out. You can’t force her into anything, especially when she’s busy with something we know nothing about.”

  I appreciated his wisdom and knew he was right. Things had changed, far more than either of them were aware, and I wished I was at liberty to explain exactly what had happened to my sister. I couldn’t betray her like that. I could only hold my tongue and wait for Scott to reply.

  When he did, it was with characteristic impatience. “Who do you think you are?” he snarled. “Some sort of advice specialist? Don’t make me laugh. You’re hardly a sterling example of parenting, Fane. Now isn’t the time to step up and make up for lost time.” The way he spat out his father’s name—new name—chilled me to my core.

  “Scott…” I tried to warn, but he was having none of it.

  The last thing we needed was for him to alienate his father even further.

  He barreled on. “For example, your little girlfriend. You know, the one who’s pregnant with a baby she shouldn’t be having. A hybrid baby that will only complicate all our lives. A baby who might cost Sirene her life, seeing as how she might not make it through the delivery. Meanwhile, our mother’s body is out there—she might even still be in there, for all we know—and you’re busy with a witch! But you’re going to give me advice?”

  I held my breath, waiting to see how Fane would take this. If I was him, I’d throw Scott into the water and leave him there. Fane’s hands curled into fists, but only for a second before relaxing again. More of a reflex than an actual intention.

  “You have a choice to make, son.” He sounded every inch the domineering father.

  I could imagine him ruling his clan, keeping everything in line while keeping his children in line, too.

  “You can either be a man and handle your feelings like one, or you can be a child and fall apart over this. It’s up to you. If you’re not man enough to carry on, I’ll go with Anissa and find your mother. You can go home. As I said, it’s your choice.”

  His words were simple, to the point, but there was so much more behind them. And the way he spoke, with such cold, calculated, barely-under-the-surface rage, it even made me want to fall in line and obey him. I could only imagine what it would be like to hear him speak to me like that.

  Scott was clearly pouting, though he did everything he could to hide it. What other choice did he have but to agree with his father and move on? Anything else would be tantamount to admitting he couldn’t handle his emotions. “Fine. I’ll deal with the Sara situation when we get home.”

  I didn’t much like hearing my sister referred to as a situation, but I let it go.

  Fane smiled slightly. “That’s good to hear. I’ll create the portal, and we’ll be on our way to Shadowsbane.”

  “Hold on for just one minute.” Scott stood, facing his father. He wasn’t as large as the older man, but he drew himself up to his full height nonetheless and stared at him. “There’s something you never told us, and I would like to know before we go any further. We’re about to do something which, if you’ll pardon me, sounds extremely crazy. And I’d like to know for my own education before we go, in case I don’t get to ask you again for any reason.”

  “What is it? Let’s make it quick.”

  Scott took his father’s impatience in stride. “Who are you now? You went from being a vampire on the run to being Fane. This mystical creature who can create portals. Since when can you create portals? What changed? How did it happen? And what else can you do?”

  They were all good questions, ones which I wouldn’t mind having the answers to. It was downright unsettling, not knowing what had transpired to change Fane into who he’d become. How did something like that happen?

  Fane frowned, acted as though he wanted to dismiss his son’s questions—but didn’t. Instead, he sighed, staring out over the moonlight water. It sparkled like diamonds, and I touched the ring Jonah had given me without thinking about it.

  “In the interest of keeping this brief, I’ll give you the shorthand version,” Fane decided, still looking away from us. “I understand why it’s important for you to know, so I’ll tell you—but then we must go.”

  “Fair enough,” Scott agreed. I stayed silent. It wasn’t my place to speak up.

  He took a deep breath, and when he spoke, it sounded like the memory pained him. Like he had never spoken it aloud before and was out of practice.

  “After I lost Elena, I lived on my own. I did what I had to do to survive. I’m not proud of those desperate, lonely days, but I lived through them. And what I wasn’t aware of at the time was the fact the cave I hid out in was just outside a witches’ realm.”

  He sighed and continued. “A lot of time passed, but I couldn’t begin to know exactly how much. Days blended into each other. I was in such a haze of pain back then. When the attack started, I almost welcomed it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to live anymore at that point. A group of men, all of them wanting nothing more than to kill me. I could see the murder in their eyes. I fought as hard as I could, for what felt like forever.”

  Fane’s face mirrored how difficult those times had to have been.

  “Only they never stopped coming at me,” he said in a tight, strained voice. “I couldn’t understand how they kept multiplying. They were hurting
me—with silver, mostly—and though burn after burn covered my body, still I fought on. I didn’t know until later the group’s leader was a warlock. An illusionist. His men, the ones attacking me, weren’t real. They were part of his illusion. But nonetheless, they could kill me. An army of his own creation. In my frenzy, I killed that warlock along with the rest of my attackers. I fed on him.”

  I raised my brows because of the way he said that, but he was so caught up in his story, he didn’t notice my reaction.

  He chuckled mirthlessly. “Naturally, when I did, the rest of them disappeared as though they’d never existed. My wounds still existed, of course, since the damage they’d inflicted was real. There was something else on top of that: the fact I’d fed on the warlock without knowing he was a warlock at the time. I’m not sure I would have if I’d known. His blood… did things to me.”

  “Things?” Scott prompted.

  “I went crazy, or so it seemed. I began creating random creatures, like the ones who had attacked me. I threw portals, when I’d never been able to do anything like that before. I was in a living nightmare. Worse than hell, even. Alone. No one to turn to. No idea why everything had suddenly turned upside down… until a witch came along.” His voice softened. “Of course, I thought she was just another one of the phantom creatures I’d been creating and killing, so I attacked her. She managed to fight back long enough to explain she meant me no harm. She was there to help me if I was willing to accept her help. As long as I didn’t kill her. Naturally, I agreed. What choice did I have? She was offering to free me of my torture.”

  “So, she said a few words I didn’t understand, waved her hands with her eyes closed. I was unfamiliar with all of it at the time. All I knew was, whatever she did freed me. I no longer created those attackers. I was no longer throwing portals at random. I felt peace for the first time in longer than I could remember.”

  “It was Sirene,” Scott concluded.

  “It was Sirene. She saved me.” He turned to his son. “She taught me to control the powers the illusionist’s blood had given me. Including the ability to throw portals. Without her, I might have lost my mind for good. I might have let those attackers I was creating kill me. Who knows? There’s no telling. I know she saved my life, and that’s all I need to know.”