Rage (Scarlet Dawson Book 3)

by Nicola Chadwick

  “Warmth, life, hope. It was familiar, but then the stone was my father’s power. When I touched it, I felt like I had come home.” The look on Lykos’s face when he spoke of it was relaxed, the most serene I’d seen him since I’d met him.

  “But what I feel is the opposite. It feels evil, dark, cold,” I tell him.

  “Then you need to find a way to connect to those things without letting it consume you. Now, try again!” he shouts, watching me like a hawk as I reach up again to grip the stone.

  This time the inky darkness of the magic slithers over my skin to cocoon me in a blanket of cold before I succumb to the magic, I hear my name whispered in the dark.

  Chapter Ten

  I can’t remember going to bed, but I wake in the early hours of the morning with Bastian’s arm pinning me to the bed. I can only assume that the last time I’d passed out he’d decided I’d had enough and put me to bed.

  By the end, I’d been begging Lykos to stop but he was relentless in his training, grabbing my hand and thrusting it against the stone when I’d been reluctant to touch it anymore. The last thing I remember was that I could at least hold the stone now for five minutes without passing out. At least I was improving, I just worried that I would become as evil as the stone felt.

  I look at the clock and see its four in the morning, we were due at the Vale at six, so I had a few hours to do my pre-Faerie ritual. I push Bastian onto his back, so I can free myself from his giant arm. Then I jump out of bed and grab the backpack I’d stowed in the bottom of the closet.

  I dress in combat trousers, boots, and a simple vest top covered with a shirt. I throw a few long-sleeved tops, shirts, and combat trousers in the bag then, with a smile, I grab every single set of bra and panties that I own. Bastian was hell on a girl’s underwear.

  With a quick glance at Bastian, I leave the room and head up to the lounge to gather the rest of the items I’d stowed there. When I reach the lounge, I find Silas at the stove cooking up more sausage and bacon than I think even the Lycans can eat.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her, dropping the backpack on the table.

  “Just worried that this is all for nothing,” she replies quietly.

  I move over to lean against the counter at her side and say, “I’ve been thinking of a backup plan.” She stops flipping the bacon and turns to face me, arching her brow. “What if we use the star ourselves? We could wish for enough power to take down Vex, wish for your sisters back.”

  “But then we lose our leverage. If Vex is distracted enough, I can get to the star, but then we must be careful what we wish for. My real mother told me a story once of a nobleman who was already rich but wanted more. More money and more notoriety so he sought out the last star and made his wish, within days of his wish he lost everything he had: his family, his friends, his home, and his money. Wandering the cold bleak land, he stumbled on a cave full of dragon gold, more treasure than any man could ever possess. As he looked around the cave, he found a very rare artefact that had been lost thousands of years before, one so precious it would bring him the fame he craved. Finally, he lifted the stone from the altar on which it stood, and in an instant, the cave sealed itself. He was now trapped with no food or water, but he had the treasure he wished for. Hundreds of years later he was found in the cave a mere skeleton holding the artefact. He then received the fame he wanted as he was discovered with the long-lost treasure and placed in a museum for all to see.”

  “Okay,” I reply, knowing where she was going with the story. “So basically, if we wish to be rid of Vex, you’re saying he’ll probably just become invisible, but he’ll still be there making our lives hell?”

  “I’m saying if we use the star, we need to be careful what we wish for. As much as I want my sisters back, what happens if I wish for them back only to get them back as corpses.”

  “We’ll think about it some more. For now, we’ll concentrate on the games,” I tell her and move to retrieve the things I’d stashed in the corner of the room.

  Adam, Aylesbury, and Phoenix enter the lounge with Lykos following them. They all sit to the table as Silas dishes out plates piled high with meat and eggs. Instead of joining them, I place all my equipment on the kitchen side and begin to pack what I deem the essentials. As I pull out a hammer, Trenton and Jackson walk up to me and begin picking up my stuff.

  “Duct tape, a hammer, a roll of thin wire, an axe, and a cotton sheet. What do all these items have in common, Trent?” Jackson asks after picking each item up.

  “Well, I’d personally say Scarlet was going to murder someone, the only things she’s missing is a shovel,” he says with a grin as he leans against the counter.

  I pull out the fold-up shovel I’d just packed and plaster a crazy grin on my face.

  Jackson stares at me and says, “Trent, I think I’m in love. What do you think the Omega will want in return for killing the Beast?”

  Trent opens his mouth to answer but his gaze lands on Bastian instead, and he thinks better of it. Instead, they both move to the table, take a seat, and begin eating.

  I pull the pile of underwear out of my backpack before shoving in the rest of my equipment, when Bastian walks up behind me. He presses me into the counter, his arms wrapping around my body to pick up the underwear that’s still on the side.

  “How many bras do you think you’ll need,” he asks, his voice still gravelly from sleep.

  I turn in his embrace and grin at him. “That depends if you’ve figured out yet how to take my clothes off without shredding them.”

  I pull him in for a quick kiss then shove him away and turn to finish my packing. When I finally have everything packed, I grab a few items from the kitchen, and sit at the table opposite Silas.

  Aylesbury looks at the array of food I’ve made myself and laughs. While Phoenix stares, with his mouth open as he watches me eat.

  “What are you eating?” he asks me as I shovel in cheesy puffs.

  “Cheesy Puffs, candy, chocolate, soda, ice cream,” I say, listing all the things in front of me. “I’m basically planning on eating everything I know I can’t get in Faerie,” I say as I reach for my can of cola.

  “Dammit, why didn’t we think of that, brother,” Trenton says to Jackson.

  I throw a bag of candy at them and finish my meal. Phoenix stares at me with a look of disgust on his face.

  Once we all finish eating, we head downstairs to the two trucks waiting outside. Silas and I watch as the men stow all the bags and boxes that contain our gear in the back of the trucks. I realise as I stand there that some of us might not return, I can only hope that we finish what we set out to do and end Vex.

  I shake away all the morose thoughts and stroll over to Raven to say goodbye.

  “Raven, I’m relying on you to make sure that Quinn doesn’t do too much. If you think she is—

  “I know, I know, contact Watts and Harris and see if they are free. You already told me this yesterday. Now, don’t worry about us we’ll be fine.” She smiles and pulls me in for a hug, but I can tell from the way she shakes slightly that she’s worried.

  She releases me as Quinn walks down the stairs holding Jinx. I grab Jinx out of her arms and give her a squeeze before depositing her on the floor to pull Quinn in for a hug. I surprised myself with just how affectionate I was suddenly becoming. I don’t think I’d ever initiated so many hugs before.

  “I know you’re looking at him,” I say to her as I pull away.

  “You should see the disgust on his face, Scarlet, I can barely stand to see it,” she says, her eyes watering with unshed tears. “I know most of this is hormones, but I still can’t deal with it. Tell the others goodbye, I’m going to wait inside.”

  I watch her jog up the steps and into the main entrance before turning my attention to Dante as he watches Aylesbury with a scowl. I walk over to him and grab his arm, dragging him out of earshot of the others.

  “If this is about Quinn, don’t bother,” he says to me, pulling his a
rm away and turning to move back to the trucks.

  I reach out and grab his arm again.

  “No, Dante, you’re going to listen to me very carefully because Quinn might be willing to put up with your attitude but I’m not. When I first met you both, I knew there was something between you, every opportunity you got, you would touch her. You acted playful with her, but I could see the longing in your eyes, and I know she feels the same way.”

  He rolls his eyes at me, but I keep a hold of his arm and carry on. “You need to understand that it was her choice to be with Aylesbury and it happened once, weeks ago. You’d also know if you stopped being afraid of the fact that you love her, the child she carries is yours.” He stiffens but doesn’t break out of my grasp even though I know he can. “Now you have two choices, man up and see what you two could have together or leave and show us all what type of man you really are.”

  He arches a brow at me. “Being a bit hypocritical, aren’t you?”

  “I might be, but at least I finally admitted to myself what I feel for Bastian even if he irritates me to the point of madness. Just ask yourself if you can live without her in your life because all you’re doing is pushing her away.”

  “But Aylesbury—

  “Nope, no buts. Aylesbury was a one-night stand and has nothing to do with this, this is about you and Quinn. Think about it and use your brain this time.”

  I drop his arm, but he doesn’t react, just stares into space. I walk off and leave him to his thoughts but not before shouting over my shoulder. “And stop confusing Jinx, she’s a domestic cat, not a bloody Puma.”

  I walk around the side of the truck and jump in the passenger seat. Bastian turns to me and says, “Let’s hope he listens to you because nothing else seems to be getting through his thick head.”

  As he pulls out of the drive onto the road to Port Vale, I place my head against the window and stare at the scenery whizzing past, blanking my mind so that the nerves I have don’t consume me.

  We pull up to the Guild building to a handful of paparazzi and their flashing cameras. Luckily, the Guild has security keeping them far enough away that we can get out of the trucks without too much hassle.

  We are met on the steps to the guild by a tall, pale-looking Fae with mint-green hair that shoots from his head in all directions. “Hello. I’ll be your liaison until you reach The Games. My name is Asshole.”

  I burst out laughing and say. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Asshole.”

  The scrawny Fae sneers at me then says, “It’s Azknowle.” He says the name deliberately slow.

  “Yeah, I get it Asshole, lead the way,” I say indignantly.

  Azknowle sneers again and walks into the building expecting us to follow. I stride a few steps behind him as the twins race in front of me and turn, so they can high five me.

  Phoenix walks past, shaking his head muttering, “As if I haven’t got enough to deal with.”

  Aylesbury walks past and says, “Behave, Red.”

  I ignore them both and follow Azknowle to the tear in the Vale. The room it’s held in is cavernous, like an airport terminal, and there are queues to desks of workers where all manner of people were walking in and out of the Vale. The Vale itself is the biggest across the whole of the world. It spans the whole width of the room and because you can see through to the guild building on the other side, it makes the room look twice as big.

  Every time I see it, I can completely understand how scared the Humans were when it ripped wide open in 2012 and spewed out armies of Demons and Fae. On the other hand, it was beautiful with its sparkling edges that danced and glimmered like fireworks.

  Just before I think we’re going to step through, he says, “Your gear will be sent through separately and will be waiting for you at the start line where you will receive your instructions. Once you step through the Vale someone will guide you to the portal that has been opened to take you to the beginning of the Games.”

  He then steps away from the shimmering Vale tear and motions with his arm for us to step through.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Vale is so big that even though there are masses of people coming and going, we can all still walk through as a group. I look back at Bastian who’s a step behind us all as I step into the shimmering Vale. I feel the zing tickle my skin as I pass through and emerge on the other side.

  As my feet touch the solid ground of the Guild building in Faerie, my body is thrown into the air, a thousand voices scream at me, but they don’t drown out the feel of magic as it slithers under my skin. I shake violently from the cold as it coils around my body.

  A soft female voice whispers to me, “Scarlet.” The sound, while soft, fills me with terror.

  I feel hands yank on my arms and claw at my chest, but I can only see the shadows that are superimposed on the dark building I’m looking at.

  Suddenly the voices quiet and I’m no longer cold, I blink and look around the concerned faces of Bastian, Aylesbury, and Adam. I’m in Bastian’s arms, cradled to his chest.

  I take a deep breath and push away from him until he drops me to my feet. He sets me down and steadies me with his hands on my waist. It’s only when I blink that I realise his long dark hair has again turned white, and his deep blue eyes are now grey. He’s also taller and broader which is a little unnerving considering he’s normally gigantic, so there was no wonder I hadn’t recognised him straightaway the last time we were in Faerie together.

  I take a big deep breath, “What happened?” My words come out between more deep breaths.

  “The magic in the stone is stronger here, and it overwhelmed you,” Lykos states from behind me.

  I turn around to face him and realise that we are in the Vale room of The Guild in Faerie surrounded by a lot of Fae.

  Bastian bends to whisper in my ear. “Don’t worry no one saw anything, the twins distracted everyone.”

  I want to ask how, but instead, I sigh in relief and turn back around to face Aylesbury as he says, “I have your chain, for now, Red, you’ll get it back when we’re safe at camp.”

  I hear a whine at my side and glance down as two wolves push their heads against my hips, one either side of me. They are both beautiful pure white wolves. One has blue eyes the other has grey. I can tell they are the twins just from the eyes, but it’s very unusual for a Lycan’s eyes not to change. Even Bastian’s eyes change when he shifts.

  I reach down and fist my hands in their fur, then rub their heads.

  “If you do that for longer than a minute, they’re coming home with you,” Phoenix says as he walks past me to a Fae who is waiting for us with a sign.

  I let go of the twins and follow Phoenix when everyone else starts to move that way too. The twins don’t change back which I find quite odd, but I don’t mention anything as they both flank me while we move forward.

  Silas walks up to me and wedges herself between the wolves and my side. She grabs my arm and holds me still.

  “Scarlet, please don’t leave me alone with that other Fae,” she says to me her voice quiet.

  “Adam? Why?” I ask.

  “He keeps watching me and its really starting to freak me out.”

  My eyes find Adam and notice he’s watching Silas like a hawk. He turns away when he realises I’m looking at him.

  “Hmm. Weird,” I state, not really knowing what to say. I’ve never really known Adam to be anything but a playful con artist. “Just stay close to me and Aylesbury if he’s making you feel that uncomfortable.”

  I move to step up to the rest of the group with Silas and the wolves behind me. I reach the others just as the Fae says, “The portal will take you straight to the first camp. Your equipment will have been transferred to your area of the camp. Once you all arrive you will find the rules and instructions for the first leg of the Enduring Tournament. The tournament starts at first light tomorrow.” The Fae assesses us all with a bored look. “Follow me.”

  He walks through the main reception area of t
he Fae Guild building and leads us down a corridor I’d never seen before. I was curious as I’d seen a fair amount of this building, but some doors had remained closed to me even when I was a Hunter.

  He turns a corner then walks to a large brass door. I push to the front of the group ready for him opening the door and I’m highly disappointed when he does. The room is plain white and only contains a desk with a bored Fae woman sitting at it, reading a leather-bound book.

  As we all file in, she looks up at us, sighs, and flicks her fingers at one of the plain walls to her left. A dark spot begins to grow on the wall until it’s big enough to let a few of us fit through at a time. I look back at Bastian and frown. The only portal through Faerie I’d ever seen was the one that led to Lykos’s secret home. It had been green around the edges. The one in front of us was pure black, and you could see nothing on the other side which frightened me a little. Was this all a ruse to lead us to our dooms? Could we trust that this wasn’t all a plan cooked up by Vex?

  Bastian gives me a reassuring smile then moves to the front of us all and steps through. If he thought we were in any danger he wouldn’t have walked into it, so I take a step forward and start walking into the dark portal.

  I was pretty sure it had been daytime when I walked into the portal, but when my feet touch solid ground, it’s deep night. I look around to see we are on the edge of a cliff. Bastian is standing off to the side and motions me over as the others start stepping through. As I watch, the others step through one at a time, I can see that behind the portal there are other Fae standing, watching. They must be the other teams, one Seelie and one Unseelie.

  Adam, Phoenix, and Aylesbury have already stepped through the portal and are moving to stand with us. As they move over, Silas steps through, closely followed by the twins still in wolf form, then finally Lykos. The minute Lykos is out of the portal it shuts down, leaving us facing off with two groups of Fae, who don’t look very happy that we are here.