Decadence (Tree of Life Series Book 1)

by Nichole Austin

  He gets up fast and quickly stands over me. “You may be your own person, but this is a team. You’re our mate, and you have a destiny to follow. I heard everything Alaric told you, but it didn’t seem to get through that thick skull of yours. Your pride and naivety are going to get you and everyone around you killed,” he says with so much anger in his voice. “How do you think I would’ve felt if my brother had killed you?”

  My hands come up to push him away, but he blocks me. My anger gets the best of me as I scold him. “Well, maybe if you would’ve had the decency to tell us about your dear brother, Wesley, I wouldn’t be so ill-equipped when it comes to dealing with him and all your people. Not only is he psychotic, but all your people are, too. I was always warned about Vampires. I should have heeded those warning.”

  Quinn’s nostrils flare, and he takes two steps back from me while taking deep breaths. “I’m going to say one thing to you. This high-handed behavior is going to leave you with one less mate,” he hisses at me. “That boy you saw out there today is not my brother, and he shouldn’t have been able to come out here. I am nothing like him or any other Vampire. So, the next time you want to lump me in with all Vampires, I would think twice.” He comes closer to me and asks, “I mean, you’re just like your mother, right?”

  The room spins as I try to form words. Arms come around me as I fall forward.

  Once again, the garden is the backdrop of my vision. My head whips back and forth looking for the guys, but it appears I’m alone. I’ve been dropped right by the river, which is still crystal blue. I walk over to it and lean down, putting my hand in it. The water is cold and the green grass around it is tall. There are small white flowers surrounding it. Colorful flowers extend away from the white ones. I see the tree in the distance and slowly make my way to it.

  When I put my hand on the bark, there’s a booming voice. “Rosalyn.”

  My hand shakes as I ask, “Who’s there?”

  The voice answers, “You should’ve known me from an early age. I’m the reason you’re here.”

  Turning from the tree, I look through the leaves like I did when I was a little girl, to see if I can find the man who belongs to the voice.

  “You won’t find me. I’m not here.”

  My heart hammers in my chest, I’m so nervous. “What do you want?”

  He responds, “I’m talking to you because it’s time for you to know your purpose. You’re old enough now, and everything has finally begun.” The voice is deep and strong, like a father would sound.

  Looking down at my torn clothes, I sit. Perplexed, I ask, “What do you mean everything has begun?”

  “The prophecy, child. The reason I put you in this world. Your reason for existing,” the voice tells me.

  Staring at a flower, my mind races. This makes no sense, but a peace I’ve never known comes over me. I’ve wanted answers, and I’m finally getting them.

  “What is my purpose?” I falter. I’m terrified to know the answer, but it’s time.

  “To rid the world of self-indulgence,” the voice proclaims.

  I stammer. “H-h-how . . . am I supposed to do that?”

  “I’m giving you the powers of each of your mates. I provided you four mates for a reason, and you are stronger as a unit.” Understanding dawns when I remember the first time we met in the garden.

  “You’ve received Xavier’s powers, and when you started receiving his powers, you also received another, telepathy. That power allows you to talk to all your mates and communicate with them.”

  Throwing Xavier against my chamber wall flashes in my head.

  “You’ll also be able to suggest things to people, and they’ll follow those suggestions. Use this power wisely.”

  Thinking of what my mother does, I cringe.

  “The first of your other mates you began to bond with was Alaric.”

  I’ll never forget the first time his voice was in my head, and how scared I was, but also how right it felt.

  “You received the healing power of his people, and now you heal faster. But, now you’ll be able to heal other people, too. After tonight, you’ll need it to get to Lapshire. I’m giving you this power before you finish the mate bond, but you won’t be able to save everyone.”

  A lump forms in my throat as chills wrack my body.

  He continues. “When you finish the bond, you’ll be able to sense the intentions of others.”

  I think back to my conversation with Alaric when he told me he saw my heart, and I realize that I’ll be able to do that as well.

  “You can already use Quinn’s powers, but your bond with Lucas is special. Remember how the earth shook when you two touched?” he asks gently.

  The ground did tremble beneath our feet the first time in the garden. “Why did the earth shake?”

  He chuckles, “When you seal your bond with each other, you’ll all become immortal, and you’ll receive your final two powers. Lucas will receive one of these powers. You’ll both be able to control the weather, and all things that have to do with the natural world. The ground, water, trees, all things natural.” A gasp escapes my lips, and I smile in the knowledge that Lucas will no longer be powerless.

  “You’ll also have a limitless power supply, and it won’t drain you when you use it.”

  Every single time I’ve passed out from using my powers flashes through my mind, and I’m grateful.

  Looking up at the limbs of the trees, I ask, “Why are you giving me all these powers? It has to have a price.”

  In an understanding voice, he declares, “There’s a price, a heavy one. As you know, Andreya, the woman who raised you, is obsessed with being immortal. She stole from this garden and killed babies in her quest to stay young. Mara abuses blood. She causes much harm to mortals and kills them in her pursuit to have more, even though she has no need of it. And Kristiana, the mortal queen, keeps men as sex slaves.” the voice is disgusted, as am I.

  My hands fly to my chest as my ability to breathe escapes me. My thoughts go straight to Lucas, my amazing, soft-spoken, mate.

  He continues as if I’m not here. “She allows families in her kingdom to keep only two girls, the rest she ships to Senda. She keeps her favored boys. And your mate, Lucas, is her favorite.”

  Tears build in my eyes. “I have to save him. I have to get him out.”

  Peace washes over me. “Be patient, my child. Trust my plan.”

  With the peacefulness surrounding me, I realize he hasn’t mentioned Alaric’s mother or my role in his plan. “Excuse me, what about Daciana? What do I have to do?”

  In a booming voice, he announces, “They all must die.”

  I gasp, but his deep voice continues like I haven’t made a sound.

  “The Lycanthrope queen stood by and allowed all this to happen. She and her people are my chosen protectors, and yet they have failed in protecting the innocent.”

  With each task laid upon me, I feel the weight grow heavier on my shoulders. Hunching over I stammer, “How?”

  Softly, he says, “After your time with me now, a sword will be placed by this tree. When you arrive in Lapshire, you will request that Alaric bring you here. Once you’re ready, you will destroy all the queens and remove them from this world.”

  “How do I tell my men about this?”

  “This vision is for you only,” the voice declares. “They will each have their own to tell them all they need to know and be commanded to talk with you. What is happening right now, however, is only for you.”

  With confusion, I ask, “What do I do now?”

  He chuckles. “You wake up and be the leader I created. You have a world to save, Rosalyn, and it’s time you did it.”

  Immediately, I’m cast from the garden.

  My eyes open, and I find myself refreshed. When I remember what the voice said about having to heal my people, I get out of bed quickly and head to the other tent. Everyone is injured, but the first one I head to is Steise. Thomas lays by her, and she’s taking s
hallow breaths. Blood still oozes from her, and my eyes burn. My hands heat so I place them over her, and they turn gold. Slowly, her sides knit together.

  Thomas wakes up and watches me with wide eyes. By the time I’m finished, most of her side is healed. I’ve done as much as I can without using all my resources. Next, I walk to Jacque and lay my hands over her to repeat the process. Her eyes open and narrow at me. I know she hates me, but I’m going to help her. She’s injured.

  Strong arms wrap around my waist, and Alaric murmurs, “What are you doing, sweetheart?”

  Ignoring him, I continue to concentrate. When I’ve done everything I can, I move onto Thomas, but he waves me off. “I’m fine. Focus on someone else.”

  Scarlett is banged up, so I place my hands on her and feel all her injuries. I’m going to use a lot of what I have left on her. Putting everything I have into healing her, my hands sting and burn as I work to mend her injuries. My neck starts to bleed, but heals quickly. The voice never said I would take on their injuries. She wakes with a start, and I weakly smile before my knees buckle and Alaric catches me.

  Picking me up in his arms, he carries me to our tent, and Quinn’s body heat engulfs me as I’m laid down next to him. Alaric pushes me closer to Quinn and the mattress sinks from the weight of his body joining us. I roll to him until I’m on his chest. I’ve been waiting for this moment for far too long.

  My lips brush his, and he growls. He digs his fingers into my hair and shoves his tongue into my mouth. A warm mouth is on my neck before Quinn whispers, “We need to get sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

  Laying my head on Alaric’s chest, I fall asleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Rosalyn

  I wake up alone in bed the next morning. There’s a shout, and I run from the tent. Thomas is shaking as he walks out of the other tent holding Steise’s body. She’s not breathing, and I fall to my knees.

  “This is your fault,” he growls. “She’d still be alive if it wasn’t for you.”

  Shaking my head, I refuse to cry, especially when I hear growling outside the ward. Looking up at him, I mumble, “I’m sorry. I tried to heal her.”

  “You didn’t heal her enough,” he spits, anguish coursing through every word. He falls to his knees with her in his arms.

  Alaric pulls me away from him. “She was completely healed when I checked on her this morning. This has nothing to do with last night. Something else must have happened.”

  When I look up, I see Jacque smiling at the edge of the tents. A knife swings between her fingers. Getting up, I advance on her and pick her up by her neck. The knife falls to the floor with a clatter.

  “I’ll kill you.” My voice is deadly. Throwing her, she hits the ward as I follow. Quinn grabs me as Thomas goes to finish the job.

  Alaric stops him. “She’ll receive her punishment in Lapshire.” He turns his glare to Jacque as he spits out, “I can’t believe I ever considered mating with you.”

  Power radiates from him, and she cowers before him. “You will not run away from us as we make our way back. What I say, every word, will be listened to, and you will heed it.”

  She nods as all the wolves outside the ward snarl. When I turn my head, I realize things have become very complicated. There are wolves everywhere outside the ward, surrounding us. If I thought we were going to get to Lapshire quickly, I was mistaken. We’ll have to battle our way out of here to get through our one-day walk and watch our backs for Vampires.

  Making my way to Quinn, I pull him aside so I can ask him some questions. “How likely is it that your brother will come back with more Vampires? Do you think they’re camouflaged and poised to attack as soon as the ward comes down?”

  He lowers his voice. “We’re in an open field right now, so it’s a lot harder to do that. They could be laying down. But after everything last night, and Wesley being severely hurt, my gut tells me he’ll lay low and lick his wounds. He won’t allow himself to become further injured.” Nodding, I walk away from him, but his voice stops me. “My advice, we move fast. No breaks and no stopping. The faster we get to Lapshire, the better.”

  Facing him, I put my hand on his arm. “My advice to you is if we get into a confrontation with any Vampires, you use your powers. I don’t care if anyone around us sees you. You need to have the advantage. All I care about is all of us staying alive.”

  After a curt nod, he leans down and slams his lips to mine in a toe-curling kiss. Behind him, someone clears their throat. Pulling my lips from his, I take a step back, looking over his shoulder. I see Alizon and behind her, Lawrence. His eyes are vacant as he shakes his head at me before turning his back.

  Swallowing thickly, I realize I finally succeeded in pushing him away. Alaric catches my eye as I grasp my chest, the pain unimaginable. Lawrence doesn’t understand that I never set out to break both of our hearts. Fate just had different plans for us. Falling head over heels in love with him was my choice, now I’m falling in love with these men.

  Alizon comes to me and shakes me. “Sometimes I wonder who you are. My sister would never do this to her husband.” She turns her back on me and walks to Xavier who’s harshly whispering to her. It looks like they’re arguing. I try to remember the last time we actually sat down to talk and realize it was before he married her.

  Alaric approaches me and pulls me into a hug. Against my hair, he murmurs, “You’re doing what you’re destined to do. Don’t let anything that anyone says or does distract you from your mission. If you lose focus, someone will die. Stay the strong woman I know you are. You wouldn’t have come through the other side of all that you’ve been through if you weren’t strong.” He pulls back and kisses my forehead. The one thing I’m learning about him is he knows what I need when I need it.

  Thomas is still holding Steise, and Jacque is curled in the fetal position on the floor. The others are huddled around them. We’ve lost a total of three lives, and I’m not about to lose anymore. It’s time for me to be the leader I’m destined to be.

  “Okay, everyone,” my voice rises, “this is even more dangerous than before. Not only do we have to watch out for the Lycanthropes, but we also have Vampires after us. Everyone needs to be constantly aware of their surroundings.” Everyone is looking at me and listening. “These Vampires have abilities they shouldn’t have, so we cannot underestimate them. I’m going to take the ward down. When I do, get with someone you trust, someone you know has your back. Xavier and I have the strongest powers, and Alizon is the strongest defensively. She is able to boost ours. At this point, there should be two teams. I’ll lead one, and Xavier will lead the other.” Everyone nods and looks at each other. “Thomas?” He looks at me. “If you turn into your wolf, can you carry Steise back to Lapshire on your back?”

  He swallows, and his voice is raw. “Yes, I want to bury her by my family.”

  “Okay, someone needs to keep an eye on Jacque. She’s not to get away. She’ll be punished for what she did.”

  Alaric speaks up. “She’s under Alpha orders. She won’t try to escape. She’ll be by us.”

  With a clipped nod at Alaric, I continue. “Scarlett, are you able to run?” She nods her head. “Okay, team up with someone. No matter what, I’m not losing anyone. We take no breaks, and we leave no one behind. We’re getting to Lapshire as quickly as possible. There’ll be no fighting between us today. If you have something to say to someone, keep your mouth shut. Today’s goal is to get to Lapshire in one piece with as little drama as possible.”

  Alaric puts his hand on his hips as he projects his voice. “Our best bet is to run. They’re going to come fast and hard. We have to get away from this area. Once you bring down the ward, we need to get out of here. Xavier, can you use your powers to make sure they stay down for us to get away?”

  “I can, but once I get too far away, I won’t be able to use them anymore.”

  Alaric goes to Xavier and places his hand on his shoulder in an act of friendship. “That’s all we
need. We just need some time to leave camp. When the ward comes down, everyone needs to run.”

  With a heavy sigh, I pace. Even though Alaric has more experience, I’m still frustrated to have him take over. It’s not in me to run and have our enemies at our back. With the way Alaric’s talking, we’ll be running the whole day.

  Not the whole day, sweetheart, just long enough to put some distance between us and them.

  Get out of my head, Alaric.

  I look each person in the eye to make sure they’re ready. Thomas transforms and Alaric positions Steise on his back. Using rope, he ties her there to make sure she stays. Jacque transforms, as does Alaric.

  It’s time. “Do it now, Xavier.” Taking two steps, I grab Lawrence’s hands and gently tell him, “We need to drop the ward.”

  Just as all the wolves drop, he looks into my eyes with furrowed brows. The accusation and hurt is burning there for me to see. There’s nothing I can do to make it better between the two of us. I don’t know how to talk to him, so I just begin whispering the spell, and he joins in. As soon as the ward drops, I yell, “Run!”

  We all take off. Blood roars in my ears as my feet pound against the ground. We’re all weaving in and out of wolves. Using my powers, I take some of their heads off as I move, so there’s less of them coming after us later. Footsteps pound around me when I hear Scarlett cry out and fall. Screeching to a halt, my heels dig into the ground. Lawrence has it covered, though. He grabs her arm and throws her on his back.

  When we round the lake, my feet get stuck in the mud, and it collects on the bottom of my boots. Everyone pants louder because each step becomes harder to take. Thomas takes the heads off the wolves he passes, making it look like child’s play. When our eyes meet, he pulls his mouth back, and it looks like a crazed smile, only in wolf form.

  The wolves lessen as we’re almost around the lake, and I know we’re close to being free of this situation. Just one hundred feet and we’re in the forest. Everyone keeps running, but I notice that Xavier isn’t moving. I stop moving as mud splashes everywhere, splattering my face.