by Rye Brewer
“She didn’t come back with you?”
Felicity shook her head. “No. She had to go back to ShadesRealm to collect her things before joining us.”
Cold panic gripped me. “She what?”
She frowned, searching my face.
My expression must have changed, and drastically.
“She went back to her home in ShadesRealm to collect a few things. That was her plan.”
I couldn’t breathe. I jumped to my feet, pulling her up with me. “We have to go.”
“What?”
“I need to take you home then go check on her.” All I could see was Vance’s body in the cell in her room. Why did she have to go back there? The one thing I had been certain she wouldn’t do.
Was I too late? I wouldn’t know until I got there.
I didn’t give Felicity the chance to ask any further questions. There was no time.
I coursed back to the Avellane entrance. She was breathless when we arrived, her face full of concern and confusion. I had no way of explaining my sudden change in demeanor.
“I’m sorry. I’ll explain this all later.”
Gregor was still waiting in the distance, and my heart sank.
She hadn’t come yet. Something must’ve happened. I created a portal before Felicity had a chance to catch her breath and went straight to ShadesRealm.
It only took moments to course to the tower, but they were the longest moments of my life. What happened up there? Would she be waiting? Horrified by what I had done? Angry with me? If anything, that would be the preferable outcome. I wouldn’t allow myself to consider the alternative.
No, Valerius couldn’t have escaped, not with the cell lined in silver. Mother would never interfere. She was intelligent enough to know when a situation was beyond her understanding. She knew when to step aside and allow things to continue as they were. That small shred of hope was all I had to cling to as I coursed, my eyes on the tower, focused on the little window at the very top.
I coursed up the stairs.
The door was open.
My heart clenched.
I didn’t have to step through to see what I’d done. What I’d allowed to happen.
“Mother!” I fell to my knees next to her broken, drained body.
My beautiful mother. Her eyes were closed—anyone might think she was sleeping. But I knew better. She was limp in my arms as I lifted her. Cold. So cold. I held her to my chest, rocking back and forth in front of the open, empty cell.
Everything came back to me in a rush.
Her loving smile, her understanding nature. Everything she had done to keep me safe over the years, the sacrifices she had made to ensure I would never be alone.
The way Gregor’s face glowed with joy when he mentioned her name. The chance she would’ve had a future with him, a happy future full of love.
And all because I wanted power.
Because I’d made the mistake of thinking I could control one of the Ancients.
I threw my head back and roared in unimaginable, endless grief as I rocked my mother’s lifeless body.
38
Anissa
“Shadowsbane Island.” I wrapped my arms around myself and wished I was wearing heavier clothes. Or a raincoat. Something to protect myself from the cold mist which seemed to sink into my bones. What a depressing place.
Fane nodded, a grim expression on his face, like he’d been reading my thoughts. Scott was utterly out of his depth, and I remembered again he wasn’t used to traveling between worlds the way I’d grown accustomed to. I tried to smile, to buck him up a little, but it didn’t work. He wasn’t in the mood to be cheered.
“We want to go up to the castle. That’s the prison.” Fane took off at a quick stride, and I hurried to keep up with him.
Was he in such a hurry because he wanted to find Elena or because he wanted to get out of the nasty weather? Maybe both. I jumped when thunder seemed to split the sky open and shake the ground under my feet. We couldn’t get there fast enough for me.
Granted, the castle looked like something out of a scary story, the sort of place where screams would fill the halls, but it was better than listening to the sky falling around my head. I focused on keeping up with Fane instead of dwelling on our horrible surroundings.
“Have you ever met this Elazar person?” I asked, nearly screaming to be heard above the almost-constant thunder.
“No,” he called back over his shoulder, never slowing his pace. “Nor have I met his consort, Samara. The spell caster.” He left it at that, as though his reply explained anything.
I supposed Samara was our witch, then, and the pair of them were who Fane needed.
Once we were inside—where it was roughly as cheerless as I had imagined from outside—I shook the moisture from my hair and glanced at Scott again. He hated being here roughly as much as I did. I was sure he regretted demanding he come—after all, he’d only joined us because he wanted to see Sara, which he hadn’t managed to do. It didn’t matter his father wanted to bring his mother back, and for his sake, at that. I never knew he could be so selfish. It occurred to me I hadn’t thought much about him at all, outside of his interest in my sister.
“Where to?” I asked Fane, determined to ignore Scott’s attitude.
“I’m not exactly sure,” he admitted. “We have to find Elazar, but I don’t know where to start.”
There were two options: upstairs or down. Both meant walking over crumbling stone staircases, the corners thick with webs and who knew what else. I shivered, and not because of my damp clothes. “I feel as though going up to the next level would be a good place to start,” I suggested.
“Why do you think so?”
“Because it can only get worse down below, don’t you think?” I imagined dungeons, rodents, all sorts of nasty things.
Fane chuckled. “You’re more than likely correct.”
He didn’t check in with his son before moving in the direction of the staircase leading up to the second floor, and Scott didn’t offer an opinion. He could’ve been too busy trying to maintain his footing in the near-dark.
The sound of footsteps coming down the hall surprised me. I touched Fane’s arm, just in front of my face, and he stopped.
We waited there, halfway up the stairs, until a figure emerged from the darkness. A woman. Tall, lithe, beautiful, with dark-brown hair which tumbled over her shoulders. Her nearly black eyes seemed to jump from her pale face as she observed our trio.
Fane found his voice first. “We’re looking for Elazar. Do you know where we can find him?”
The witch—how I knew she was one, I couldn’t explain, but it was something I was sure of—gave us a slow smile. “My, my. Looking for Elazar. My brother is popular today.”
“Your brother?” Fane asked, a cross between surprise and disbelief. “I was unaware he had a sister.”
“Yes, well, I’ve made it a point to keep from becoming as… famous as my twin.”
Her smile was anything but warm or humorous. I told myself to keep my distance.
“My name is Elewyn.”
“I’m Fane.”
Her eyebrows shot up until I was sure they’d leave her forehead. “Fane. There’s a name I’ve heard before.”
He chose not to pursue this, maybe because he knew without asking how she’d known his name. Or because he was in a hurry.
“You said your brother is popular today. Was someone else looking for him? A woman, maybe? A beautiful vampire with dark-red hair? She could’ve gone by the name Elena or Nivia.” Fane’s desperation for this to be true was clear.
Elewyn shook her head. “I’ve never heard of an Elena, though I’m familiar with Nivia—even so, I haven’t heard the name in ages.”
“So, it wasn’t she who was searching for your brother?”
“No. I’m sorry to disappoint you.” She looked us over. “My brother’s cell is on the second floor. You were on the right path. At the end of the corridor.”
“Thank you.” Fane started up the stairs again, but a familiar voice stopped me before I could follow.
It stopped Scott, too. “Sara?”
We both turned in the direction of the open door leading to the courtyard outside the castle. The thunder must’ve let up for a while; otherwise, we never would’ve heard her. What was she doing here?
Scott took off at a run, not bothering to listen to Fane as he warned him to slow down.
I ran after him, across the entryway and out the door, right on his heels.
We saw them at the same time. My sister, holding hands with a tall, dark, handsome stranger who I assumed was Stark.
39
Jonah
Anissa and I would have a lot of talking to do when she got back. I reminded myself I couldn’t tell her what to do—and if I tried, she’d be even more determined to have her way. Just as things had played out earlier, before she left with Fane.
Nonetheless, we had to be on the same team. We were planning on getting married. There had to be a little bit of consultation before making major decisions, on both our parts.
She had spent so much time on her own, making decisions for herself. Sometimes very big ones, momentous decisions on which rode the weight of her life and her sister’s.
My life had gone down a similar path. I had to make decisions on behalf of the clan after my parents were gone. I hadn’t been prepared to step into power so soon. I wasn’t used to consulting others on important matters any more than Anissa was. It would take time for two stubborn people like us to learn to work together, but we would get there. I believed we could do anything.
This was all I had to console myself with as I waited at the high-rise, feeling useless and impatient for her to get back. There were many things for me to focus attention on, but none of it seemed to matter much right then. Not as much as she did. When my phone rang, I grumbled at the distraction.
Until I saw it was the phone from the downstairs lobby calling.
“Yes?” I answered, all business. They rarely called. They rarely had reason to call.
“There’s someone here in the lobby who wishes to see you, sir.”
“Thank you.” I couldn’t imagine who, but I wasn’t about to invite them up until I knew who they were. And I wouldn’t ask the front desk to find out, since that could mean learning things they didn’t need to know. I hung up and took the elevator down to the lobby to see for myself.
She wore robes which could easily be mistaken for a cape. Something to help her blend in with the humans she expected to encounter. But there was no missing the air of extreme grace, calm, and serenity about her, even when her back was turned.
“Sirene,” I murmured, and she turned to face me with a tentative smile. Unsure what she would find.
I almost felt guilty—she was worried I would turn her away, though she’d done nothing to make me treat her so poorly. She’d never been anything but helpful.
I was keenly aware of the gaze from the front desk attendant, though he did his best to hide his interest.
“Come with me.”
She followed me to the stairwell and down to the large basement room which we used for clan meetings. Except for the penthouse, where I wasn’t ready to take her to yet, in case any of my siblings shows up, it was the safest and most secluded spot in the building.
Once we were alone, I invited her to sit at a small table in the far corner of the room. I couldn’t help but think about the baby she carried and assumed she would want to sit. Her robes hid the evidence of her pregnancy, but even they wouldn’t be able to do so for much longer.
“What brings you here?” I asked once she was settled.
“Fane got message to me to visit you. He didn’t explain why—you know how mysterious he can be.”
Yes, I knew that all too well, seeing as how he’d allowed me to believe he was dead for decades.
“He thought you might need me, and I might need you.”
There was no missing the apology in her voice. She didn’t come out and say it, but she was afraid I would be angry she’d come.
“As it turns out, I do need your help. The protective enchantment placed on league headquarters is wearing out, now that Lucian’s dead. I need a new protection cast, and I don’t know the witch who cast the original spell. Or if she’d be loyal to us.”
“I see. I’m sure that can be arranged without trouble. We can go as soon as you wish.” It was that easy. As always, she was happy to be of service. Once again, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for my attitude toward her.
“He wanted something else. We discussed it before he left.” I didn’t know how to say it. “He asked that you come to stay at the high-rise, for your protection and comfort. I see no reason why that can’t be arranged.”
Her eyes lit up, but she was still cautious. “How do you feel about that?”
How did I feel? What a loaded question. There was no way I could put into words the conflict her very presence caused—even if I could, I wouldn’t share it with her. Not only did she not need to hear it, but I wasn’t in the habit of sharing that sort of thing.
Instead of answering her directly, I said, “You’re free to settle in here whenever you wish.”
“Thank you.” Her hands landed on her belly—whether or not a conscious action, I didn’t know.
I couldn’t help but remember what Anissa had pointed out, on the roof. She was a hybrid, just as Sirene’s unborn child was. My half-sibling. Anissa and Sara were still close, though they weren’t full siblings and Anissa was part-fae. They’d been through more together than many full siblings faced, too, and it had only made their relationship stronger.
Along with that came the understanding that any child Anissa and I had someday would also be a hybrid, thanks to Anissa’s fae blood. I certainly wouldn’t love my own child any less for that.
“In case you’re wondering…” I stood, turning away from her. It was never easy for me to share what was inside me—even, at times, with Anissa. “I feel differently than I once did. I see things differently now. You and the baby are welcome here, of course.”
“Thank you, Jonah. I can’t tell you what it means to hear you say that.”
And it took so little to make her happy, too. Another reason for me to regret acting the way I had earlier.
“It’s the least I can do,” I replied.
“Perhaps there’s something else I can do for you,” she offered. “I wouldn’t like to live here, with all of you, without contributing something.”
She piqued my interest—and my confusion. “What would that be?”
“I’m a witch, Jonah,” she reminded me, still smiling calmly. “I could be your clan’s witch. I know you don’t currently have one and am not certain as to whether you ever did.”
Neither was I, frankly. I didn’t remember ever hearing of one.
“You would all be stronger as a result,” she pointed out. “I would be on-hand when you need spells, like the one you need me to cast on your headquarters. And I would be—for lack of a better description—more like part of the family.”
Part of the family. How would my siblings feel about that? I realized it didn’t matter—I would tell them how to feel about it, and they would support my decision. They’d also support Fane’s wishes, and there was no doubt as to how he’d feel about Sirene being part of us.
“All right. I’ll tell the others about it. You make a good point: the clan can only be stronger as a result of this.”
It was easier to keep personal feelings out of the conversation. She seemed to understand as she nodded without any further questions or explanation.
“And now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get to headquarters so the spell can be placed before there’s a chance of anything happening there.”
She nodded.
40
Jonah
“If there’s one thing I haven’t yet grown accustomed to, it’s coursing,” Sirene observed with a shaky chuckle
once we arrived at headquarters. “I can jump dimensions without a second thought, but coursing always leaves me a little shaky.”
One glance at her pale face told me the truth of what she said.
“Here. Rest for a moment.” I helped her to a fallen tree which sat not far from the entrance to Avellane.
I had always used the tree to identify where the entrance was located, since it wasn’t as obvious as a portal. For good reason, I supposed.
I watched her with a critical eye. Was it a bad idea to course with a pregnant witch? I hadn’t considered that. Fane would have my hide if anything happened to Sirene. What a turn of events—taking care of the witch, when I had spent so much time resenting her presence in our lives.
“I’ll be all right,” she assured me, looking around. “I haven’t been here in a long time. Even then, it wasn’t a lengthy visit. I seem to remember there being an entrance to another realm around here somewhere.”
I pointed a little way into the distance. “The entrance to Avellane is behind you.”
She peered over her shoulder. “Oh, yes. I see it.” When I frowned, she explained, “Witches and fae have a mostly amicable relationship. The entrance is more visible to me than it would be to you.”
“Who is that, standing over there?” I squinted when a figure emerged from behind a tree, beside the entry point, trying to make them out.
The white hair told me they were of the fae, but did nothing to narrow down the possibilities. A man. He came a little closer. Only then did I recognize him as Gregor.
“Anissa’s father,” I said, waving. He waved back. “I’d like to speak with him.”
“I’ll come with you, if it wouldn’t be intrusive.”
I offered her a hand up, and we crossed the short distance to where Gregor waited. He seemed impatient, hands clasped behind his back as he paced to and fro.
“Gregor. This is Sirene.” The two of them acknowledged each other.
“I’ve seen Anissa,” he said with a broad smile, clapping me on the back.