by Rye Brewer
I wanted to tell him to stop wasting his time, because they were punishing him by punishing them. I could see it clearly.
“Your privileges are not passed on through association,” Rorru snapped.
Fane shook his head. “It’s far too severe a punishment for them. They can’t be passed anything, but they need blood to survive. You know as well as I do what happens to a vampire when they’re denied blood.”
I shook harder than ever at the memory of my suffering. When Marcus had starved me. The burning, the screaming pain, the mind-searing agony of it. I had become something I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t myself anymore. And Anissa would have to go through that.
“They’ll receive what we decide they can receive,” Dracan announced.
“Blood?” Fane asked.
He shrugged. All of them shrugged.
“This won’t do. I can’t allow this to happen.” He was a man possessed. “I can’t allow them to suffer this way, all because of my negligence.”
“Do you wish to make the arrangements? Because this isn’t our problem.”
Fane barely managed to avoid growling at all of them. “How would they receive it?”
“Through the proper channels,” Ferda replied. “The way all prisoners receive items from outside the prison.”
“That could take forever,” Stark whispered under his breath.
Anissa would starve.
I watched her, trying to get a sense of what she was going through. Whatever she was feeling, she hid it well. Had she taught herself to hide what was inside her when she worked for Marcus on my behalf? That was probably it. I could just imagine how she’d have to hide her feelings from him. Like the way she had probably wanted to kill him. I knew I would have if I were in her shoes.
“Is there anything we can do?” I whispered to Stark.
His jaw tightened. “No,” he whispered through clenched teeth. “I’m sorry, but you can’t risk yourself right now. They would imprison you out of spite for daring to talk back to them. I’m surprised they’re letting Fane get away with it.” But they weren’t, which Stark clearly didn’t see. Every time he questioned their decision or challenged them in any way, he was making it more difficult for Anissa and Scott. Which would make it more painful for him in the end.
The Senate stood as one. “We’ll give you time to say your goodbyes,” Dracan announced as the six of them left the room in a swirl of robes along the stone floor.
When the door closed, it was just us, along with Elewyn and Samara. They’d stayed against the wall throughout the debacle, and their faces showed nothing of what they felt.
Not that I cared about them at that moment. I threw my arms around Anissa. “I’m so sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I’m going to do everything I can to help you, I swear.”
“Don’t you dare.” She pulled back, shaking her head. “I mean that, Sara. I won’t let you take chances for me. I knew there were dangers involved in coming here. I came anyway. I have no choice but to accept the punishment.”
“No, no, it isn’t fair.” I hugged her again, and the rapid beating of her heart told me she wasn’t as calm as she pretended to be. Tears trickled out from behind my tightly squeezed eyelids and rolled down my cheeks. I wouldn’t let her go. I couldn’t.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Scott. My heartbreak turned to rage. “You. This is all your fault!” I flew to him, slamming my fists against the ice. “You’re lucky you’re still in there, you pathetic waste of breath.”
“Don’t do this,” Stark warned as he pulled me away. “Remember how this started.”
“I remember how it started—which is why I’m going to kill him,” I snarled as I fought against him.
He wouldn’t let go.
“What’s about to happen to him is far worse than anything you could do.” Even so, the way he glared at Scott told me he believed every moment of suffering would be deserved.
My chin quivered, more out of frustration that I couldn’t vent my fury than anything else. I wanted to make him hurt for what he did to Anissa. They might have gotten off the island with no trouble if it hadn’t been for him. I had never hated anybody more. Not even Marcus.
And he felt it. The way he looked at his feet, his hands folded between his spread knees, told me how disgusted he was with himself.
“No, this is my fault. I should never have brought either of them with me. The Senate was right—I went too far. The fact that you two have to suffer for my short-sightedness is the real tragedy here.” Fane’s shoulders slumped. “I’ll never forgive myself, and I know Jonah will never forgive me.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry for that,” Anissa murmured.
I had never heard her sound so defeated. It was like listening to a stranger—and looking at one, too, considering the way she hung her head. I wasn’t used to seeing her this way. She was always the strong one, the one with the answers. If it weren’t for her, I would still be in a cell in Marcus’s dungeon. I never would’ve made it out on my own, and he never would’ve let me go so long as he could use my sister against his enemies.
She went to Fane. “Tell Jonah I’m sorry. He was right. I shouldn’t have come. It was too dangerous. But I was too stubborn to listen. It’s not a consolation now, of course, when there’s nothing I can do about it, but I need him to know that I see how wrong I was.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything she’d done for me. All the sacrifices she had made. I couldn’t allow her to suffer alone. When I looked up at Stark, I knew for sure what I needed to do. “I can’t leave her here alone.”
“What?” he whispered. “We can’t stay here now. Not after this. They’re going to be watching us closer than ever. The slightest infraction of one of their laws and we’ll be in a cell along with your sister.”
“I have to take that chance. You can leave if you want to.”
His brows knitted together as he frowned. “Sara…”
“No, Stark. There’s so much you don’t understand—if you did, you wouldn’t question my decision. I’ll tell you all about it sometime. For now, trust me: she would do it if the roles were reversed. I have to do it for her.” I touched my palm to his face, staring deep into his dark, stormy eyes. “I’m sorry if you think this is wrong.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out except for a long sigh. “I won’t leave you here alone.”
“I don’t mean to hold you captive here.”
“I know. But you already have me captive. Don’t you know that?” He kissed my palm and showed me that even in the middle of a horrible nightmare, my heart could melt with happiness. It seemed wrong to feel that burst of joy, but there was no ignoring it.
I turned to Anissa. “I’m staying here on the island to be with you.”
Her face fell further. “No, no, you shouldn’t. Go someplace else, be safe and happy. Please, do that for me.”
“Excuse me.” Elewyn’s voice rose over all the others as we argued back and forth. “I believe I have a solution for all of this.”
13
Sara
I didn’t like her. I might even have hated her. But if Elewyn had an idea for freeing my sister, I was all ears.
She hadn’t spoken soon enough, since the door opened and rendered anything else she was about to say useless.
Dracan stood there, watching us as I could imagine myself watching a bunch of insects doing something interesting.
My vampire instincts came back with a vengeance—my fangs threatened to descend the second I saw him.
“Your cells will need the proper enchantments placed on them, and that will take a bit of time,” he announced. “This was unexpected, after all. There are two holding cells being prepared for you, complete with silver-lined bars.”
“Wonderful,” Anissa spat.
Stark shook his head, warning her against talking back again. I would’ve told him he was wasting his time if I wasn’t so afraid of attra
cting Dracan’s attention. Something about him chilled me to the bone.
He chose to ignore her. “We’ll have more information about the length of your sentence within a few hours, and the cells will be ready.”
I watched, helpless, as Anissa was led away by two guards. Scott’s block of ice was wheeled away on a cart. I heard Dracan order the guards to melt the ice once he was in his cell. He shot us all a look before following them away.
Fane turned to Elewyn. “All right. We’re alone now. You said you have an idea?”
She waved us all into a corner of the room. I had no choice but to follow her, along with Fane and Stark. Samara stayed by the door, as though she were watching out.
She looked at all of us, and I noticed for the first time how much color there was in her cheeks. She was excited about something. I drew a little closer to Stark, in case it had to do with him. No matter what she had in mind, I didn’t trust her with him.
“I don’t think Anissa or Scott have to be imprisoned here. Not if things go the way I plan. But I need your assistance.”
“What sort of assistance?” Fane asked, even though it seemed like she was speaking to Stark. Fane was clearly in charge of things.
She turned her attention to him. “You’re all strong and powerful in your own way. With your help, along with Scott and Anissa—both of whom I can release—we can mount a coup against the Senate.”
I didn’t dare breathe as I waited for either Fane or Stark to respond. As far as I was concerned, she was crazy. A coup? Against witches like the Senate? I wasn’t sure I wanted to imagine what the six of them could do together.
“And you would free Elazar at the same time, of course,” Stark muttered with a wry smile.
“Of course,” she fired back, glaring at him. “Why wouldn’t I? You know how much he means to me.”
“I do. I only wish you wouldn’t make it sound as though Anissa and Scott are your priority in all of this. It’s Elazar you’re concerned about.”
“It’s the Senate I’m concerned about,” she countered. “You know better than any of us what it feels like to be under their collective thumb, Stark. And look what they did tonight. They won’t even announce how long they intend to keep their new prisoners. They have no desire to arrange for them to get the blood they need to survive. All because of some ridiculous law, even though it’s clear neither of them had any idea the law existed. Do you need any further proof that this entire system needs to be taken down?”
“And who would take the place of the Senate?” he asked in a knowing voice.
“You know it would be me.” She threw her shoulders back. “And why not? What other witch is as well-established here on the island? Who else is as skilled as I am? I have what it takes to oversee the enchantments over the cells—that’s nothing for a witch like me. There’s no reason for the Senate to exist any longer with someone like me in existence.”
I had to give her credit for her confidence, even if I wasn’t sure it would be as easy as she was making it sound. But she did know better than I would, with all her experience. Stark’s silence could either be ominous or merely the result of him trying to make sense of the situation.
Fane asked, “What form do you plan on this coup taking? A fight?”
“Do you think they would allow us to unseat them without a battle? You’ve seen them at work. They care about their power here on the island, and nothing else. Fairness doesn’t matter. Mercy is nonexistent. Do you think your family is the only one which has been torn apart by those monsters? They deserve nothing less than the most brutal fight we can put up.”
I couldn’t imagine that Fane would go for anything as dangerous as what Elewyn was suggested. He had already gotten the two of them locked up after acting recklessly.
He nodded. “All right. Let’s do it—sooner rather than later.”
“What?” I gaped at him, sputtering. “But… but…”
“It’s the only way,” he insisted. “There’s no telling how long the Senate will keep them locked up here. I can’t allow that. If there’s a way for us to free them, I’m all for it.”
“It’s too dangerous!”
“Do you think I would go back to my son and tell him I allowed his fiancée to be imprisoned? He would never forgive me for that. I would never forgive myself. No, I won’t allow that to happen.” His face turned to stone. “We’re doing this.”
“Don’t you want to free your sister?” Elewyn prompted.
“Of course, I do. I would do anything to help her.” I looked at Stark, wishing he could provide a little clarity. It all seemed to be happening so fast.
“I think we could take them down,” Stark decided. “With Anissa and Scott, we have the strength we need. And there’s no love lost between the Senate and myself. I would love to see them suffer for everything they’ve done.”
Elewyn’s eyes glowed as she listened to him.
I wanted to claw them out. She didn’t get to look at him that way.
What could I do about this route? There was nothing for me to do but agree.
“We have a few hours, right? That’s what Dracan said?” Fane’s enthusiasm for the plan was obvious. He was completely sold.
I could see where he was coming from—he wanted to save his family, and something more. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“I want to go up to my brother to make sure he knows to be ready—we might need his help as well, and I can free him with little trouble.” She was as excited as Fane was.
Neither of them could wait to get started. I wished I had their enthusiasm. I wanted to save Anissa, but not if it meant getting anybody else hurt. Or worse.
My palms tingled, almost like my body was reminding me of my powers. If I wanted to be sure nobody got hurt, it would be up to me to do my best to fight off the Senate before the worst happened. I had what it took. I only had to channel it.
Elewyn hurried out, along with Samara. I took the opportunity to pull Fane aside. “I need to know why you came here in the first place.”
“You need to?” He quirked an eyebrow. “You’re certain of that?”
Electricity crackled in the air around us, and it wasn’t my imagination when I noticed some of his dark red hair standing on end. His eyes widened in surprise—and, just maybe, respect. It gave me the strength to push forward. “Yes. I need to know why you got my sister into this. Was it worth it?”
His gaze drifted away. “I already told the Senate why I brought her.”
“You didn’t tell the entire truth.” I shook my head when he tried to argue. “Stop, please. I’ve lived with your family long enough to feel as though I’m part of them, if only by extension. I know what it looks like when one of you Bourke men tries to avoid the truth. You have a way of looking anywhere but at the person you’re speaking to.”
“You and your sister certainly have a lot of experience with my children,” he muttered. “All right. The reason we came was for me to find a way to free Elazar. I need him and Samara, his mate, to find out whether Elena is still in her body.”
“Oh. It all makes sense now. And if we’re successful and Elewyn frees her brother…”
“Right. This is the best possible outcome for all of us.”
“I hope it is,” I whispered. “I have to be honest with you: I don’t care right now whether or not Scott ever goes free.”
“That’s understandable,” he murmured, nodding. “What he did was inexcusable. I’m sorry. I wish there was something more I could do or say.”
“If you want to do something, get my sister out of this unscathed. That’s all I can ask.”
Determination flickered in his eyes. “That much, I can do.”
I hoped he was right.
14
Elewyn
I wrung my hands together as we climbed the stairs. It was all I could do to keep from running, shouting, celebrating. Even I knew it was a bit too early for celebration, but I couldn’t help myself. Everything I’d
ever hoped for was about to come to pass. It was a heady sensation, to say the least.
I’d always looked down on people who couldn’t control themselves as I did. I finally understood just a little of what possessed them.
Elazar looked markedly less self-possessed, as well. He rushed to the bars, as close as he could, when he saw me approach. “Well?”
“It looks as though everything is in place.”
Samara joined me, and I made it a point to smile at her. When I’d shared the plan with her in my cottage, I’d painted the situation as a partnership between the two of us. We were going to join forces and free my brother, her love. We would be his champions, as he would be for us if the roles were reversed.
She had no idea.
“I wish you would tell me what to expect.” His voice was low as his imploring gaze fell on his mate, but she was just as tight-lipped as I was.
One thing we could agree on, the less he knew, the better.
“Just expect to be free,” I whispered in return. “Be ready. It will happen before the night is over.”
It was obvious that the two of them wanted to be alone together, so I stepped away and waited at the top of the stairs for her to return.
They sickened me.
No, she did.
That wretch.
Hundreds of years spent hating her, and I would finally have the satisfaction of watching her die. After all, who was to say what would happen in the midst of battle? Casualties occurred. If a spell accidentally went awry, it would be such a tragedy.
Such a tragedy to have the pleasure of watching her die as horribly as possible. She should’ve been the one behind bars, not him. I was sure at the time of his sentencing that my twin would realize what a mistake he’d made when he took her as his mate—the only positive aspect of an otherwise terrible event. Instead, it had brought them closer together. Every time she’d sworn she would be faithful to him and wait for his release, his devotion to her had strengthened.