by Alicia Rades
“Go, go, go!” Fiona shouted, pounding her fist on the table in delight.
“You’ve got this, Rae,” Teagan cheered.
“Seriously, babe?” Ryland asked flatly.
Teagan shrugged. “She’s kicking your ass. I officially love her.”
Me, too. I just didn’t know how to tell her.
“Aww,” Rae replied to Teagan. “That’s sweet. What do you say, Ryland? Winner gets Teagan?”
“Done,” Teagan agreed without so much as a glance toward her boyfriend.
“Babe!” Ryland objected. The muscles in his arms rippled as he tried harder to push Rae’s arm to the table.
The three girls burst into a fit of laughter. Just seeing Rae smile like that sent tingles up and down my body.
I couldn’t deny it. I was head over heels for this girl. She was smart… funny… and she wanted me. Not only that, but she treated me like a real human being. Before Sondra rescued me from Maliya’s nest, most people in my life had treated me like they owned me. It took me a long time to realize not everyone was like that.
Guilt knotted in the pit of my stomach. Rae sure didn’t treat me like a piece of property, but I’d been horrible to her these past few days. I thought girls were supposed to like it when guys acted all protective or whatever, but Rae wasn’t like most girls. If she set her mind to something, she was going after it one way or another. Lately, she’d been talking about going after Valkas.
Yes, that Valkas, the original vampire—the guy who orchestrated the kidnappings and killings of thousands of people in the last decade. He was heartless, ruthless… the worst kind of being imaginable.
Of course, that was exactly Rae’s cup of tea. The badder they were, the more driven she was to destroy them.
Which would’ve been fine… under normal circumstances. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth to help her. But things changed when I learned that Rae was the one who created Valkas in a past life. Which meant she was the only one who could destroy him in this life. Every time I thought about it, my throat turned to sandpaper and my chest felt as if a ton of bricks was sitting upon it.
It wasn’t that I didn’t think Rae could kill Valkas. I mean, it was a long shot, but she was strong and smart. She obviously had a chance if she played her cards right. But I feared what would happen to her if the cards didn’t play in her favor. What if Valkas discovered who she was? I couldn’t bring myself to picture the horrible things he would do to her if he found out she was the one thing who could destroy him.
Unlike other vampires, Valkas couldn’t die via a stake to the heart, decapitation, or fire. He was the eye of the storm, and it took the witch who started that storm to end it. If she failed, her fate would be far worse than death. Valkas wouldn’t just kill her. If he did, her soul would return in less than a century in another body with the chance to take him out again. Death was hardly the worst thing that could happen to a person. He’d find a way to trap her soul—or destroy it. It was the only way to ensure he could live forever.
I sighed, feeling completely heartbroken as I watched her. She smiled across the table at Ryland. She had no idea what kind of terrors lie ahead if she went through with this. The only reason I hadn’t told her why I insisted she didn't go was because I was certain it would only drive her closer to Valkas. If there was ass to kick, she was right there to shove her foot straight up it.
Not only that, but I was selfish as all hell. I knew from the moment I saw her that we were destined to be together. I saw something in her eyes the night we’d met, something that looked so familiar it knocked the wind right out of me. There was an instant connection because we’d already lived a whole lifetime together… and I wanted to live every other lifetime with her, too.
“Surrender!” Rae demanded with a laugh, cutting through my thoughts.
Sweat had broken out on both her and Ryland’s heads.
“No,” Ryland objected. “I’m not losing to a girl.”
Rae scoffed. “You’re not winning to one, either.”
Fiona doubled over in a fit of laughter. Even I snickered.
Shit, I couldn’t let this girl go, not right when I’d found her. I’d waited years for her to show up. I didn’t know I was waiting for her, of course, but I knew I was waiting for someone. I had the sketches from Sondra to prove it. They were tucked in the outer pocket of my duffel bag. I’d pulled them off the wall before our house burned down.
Sondra couldn’t exactly tell the future. No witch could without a magical object to assist them. But they could get a sense of where Synchrony was leading you. Sondra knew Synchrony was leading me to Rae long before Rae ever stepped into my life. She'd drawn the sketches to give me hope.
Rae pushed with all her might, making headway. Ryland pushed back, but Rae had already gained the upper hand. He conceded before his hand ever hit the table.
Ryland dropped Rae’s hand and crossed his arms. “Okay, I give, but only because I have a bad arm.”
He scowled and rubbed his bicep, which wasn’t even the arm that had been broken. Besides, he’d undergone enough healing spells that it should’ve been good as new by now.
Rae shot her fists into the air in victory. My heart danced inside my chest when I saw the overly excited look on her face. Most of the time, she was all business. It was nice to see her beaming for once. And lord, was it beautiful.
Teagan and Fiona both gave Rae a high-five before she stood from her chair and turned to me with a smile.
Slay. The girl effing slayed me. She was perfect.
She caught me staring, and I involuntarily blushed under her gaze. She didn't notice.
Rae wiggled her eyebrows. “Your turn to challenge the beast, Venn.”
I sat up straighter and laughed. “Believe me, Ryland and I have had our fair share of show-downs.”
Rae smirked. “Me, Venn. I meant me.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Holy crap, was it a wide smile. I must’ve looked like I had a fork stuck sideways in my mouth. But that was the way she made me feel, like there was this light inside of me that had been begging to escape my whole life but was shadowed by all the darkness in my past... until she flipped the switch. All that light came pouring out all at once.
“Nah,” I said, waving my hand like it was no big deal. “I think you’ve already crushed enough sets of balls for the night.” My gaze flickered to Ryland, who shot daggers my way.
He scoffed and mumbled, “I’m sure she’ll be doing more than that later tonight.”
I had the sudden urge to punch him.
Rae crossed her arms and stuck out her hip. I wanted to kiss the pout right off those sexy lips of hers.
“I didn’t realize this was the freaking patriarchy,” Rae teased with a raise of her eyebrow. “They’re not going to revoke your man card.”
I shrugged. “They might.”
Rae crossed the room and grabbed my hand from off the back of the couch. Fire tingled up and down my skin, but the good kind—the warm kind.
“Come on…” she begged. “We’re just having fun.”
How could I deny her of that? It’d been all business since we met, besides the few minor make out sessions that left us both wanting more.
I took a deep breath, pretending like I had to think about it. Finally, I stood and followed her over to the table. “Fine.”
“Whip-cha.” Ryland made a whipping motion through the air.
“Shut up,” I grumbled as I pushed him aside so I could take his seat across from Rae.
“Watch out,” he warned as he stood. “This girl is stronger than she looks.”
My eyes met hers, and I beamed. “I know.”
She gazed back at me with challenging eyes, then took my hand, squeezing it tightly. My breath caught in my chest.
“On the mark of three…” Teagan stated. “One… Two… Three!”
Every muscle in my body tensed as I threw all my strength into the arm wrestle. Damn, this girl was strong. Most girls would
go flying across the room under my shifter strength. But Rae was nothing like most girls.
Needless to say, she won the arm wrestle, but I was the lucky guy who won a red-hot consolation kiss.
1
The world had a way of raising you up just to slam you into the dirt the second you thought you were safe. I'd learned to roll with the highs and lows, but I also knew that perfection was only temporary. Which meant that the few days I'd had with my new family in Genevieve's lake house were coming to a close.
Venn and I lay beside each other on one of the big couches in front of the fireplace. We barely fit, but he pulled me securely to his chest to keep me close to him. My ear rested just above his heart. The hairs on my arm rose as I listened to the comforting thump of his heartbeat and felt the warmth of his breath across the top of my head. The fireplace crackled, and soft voices from the patio drifted in through the screen door with the cool night breeze.
My fingers ran over the back of Venn’s hand, examining the skin that’d been sliced open just days ago. There were no signs of injury anymore, and when I pressed down, he made no indication that it bothered him.
I’d tested Ryland’s arm earlier, and that was back to normal—though his attitude hadn't improved much. He didn't say anything when Teagan was around to keep him in line, but I caught him throwing death glares my way every now and then. He looked like he wanted to punch me for what I'd done in a past life. And maybe he would've—if he knew I wouldn't smack him right back.
Through the sliding glass doors, I could see Fiona standing next to Teagan, sipping on her soda and staring out across the lake. It was clear her broken leg was healed as well.
It should’ve been great news, but it only made me feel sick. I told myself I’d stay long enough for everyone to heal. Now that we were all feeling better, I had to go.
I didn’t want this amazing mini-vacation to end. For the first time in years, I’d felt normal. I cooked breakfast with Teagan and stayed up late talking with Fiona. We all went swimming in the lake and ate popcorn while we watched a dumb slapstick comedy that made me forget—if only for a moment—that I lived in a world of monsters.
And then there was Venn. Every moment with him was like magic. He took my breath away. It didn’t matter the circumstances, whether it was the time I caught him staring while we were cleaning up after dinner, or the time he cornered me in the laundry room and we had the most amazing make out session. I was totally smitten by the guy.
Except for one thing. He didn’t want me going after Valkas.
And I had to. For one, Jenna was on that island with the bastard, and I already knew without a doubt that I was going after her. But now I had the chance to kill Valkas while I was at it? It wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up. Not only did it mean eliminating one of the worst terrorist threats in history, but Matias had said that killing Valkas would kill all the other vampires as well.
“What happens to you when I kill Valkas?” I’d asked him.
“I suppose it breaks the spell,” he’d replied. “Once that magic is no longer keeping me alive, I would die—just as would all the other vampires.”
I’d asked Sondra about it while we were sunbathing along the lakeshore a few days ago, and she agreed it made sense. If I broke the curse, all vampires would perish.
This had to be done, and I was the only person who could do it. I only wished I could convince Venn to come with me.
“Venn?” I cleared my throat.
“Yeah, Rae?” He let out a long, soothing breath.
Damn it. He was totally relaxed. I wasn’t ready to have this fight with him again… but I couldn’t keep putting it off. There was work to be done.
“We need to talk about what’s happening next.”
Venn’s whole body tensed. He glanced down at me. “We’re going after Matias. We have to destroy the Artifact.”
My jaw clenched. “You know he’s not the only threat out there. You promised we’d go after my sister.”
Venn sat up straight, pulling his arm out from under me. I nearly toppled off the end of the couch, but I quickly righted myself and sat next to him.
Venn raked his fingers through his dark hair. “That was before. You don’t understand how dangerous Gregor Island could be, do you?”
I stared back at him with a stone-cold expression. If he thought I didn’t understand the dangers of going after Valkas, he seriously underestimated me. But it was because of those dangers that I had to go. No one had heard from the Soulless in two years, which only meant they were planning something… something big. And I had to stop them first.
“I know things changed when Matias gave me that dagger,” I said, “but I have to go through with it. I couldn’t do it in my past lives because I didn’t have the dagger used in the spell that created him. Now I have it, so it’s the perfect chance to strike.”
Venn’s fists tightened, and his gaze narrowed at the flickering flames in the fireplace. “Have you ever considered that maybe Matias was lying to you?”
Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind, but Matias sounded genuine. He truly wanted Valkas dead, so why would he give me a fake dagger? Not to mention I saw the same dagger in a vision—a memory.
“Matias could be working for Valkas,” Venn pointed out.
My brow furrowed. “That makes no sense.”
“It could be a trap to lure you to Gregor Island.”
“Again, that doesn’t make sense,” I said. “I was already headed there anyway.”
Venn’s lips tightened, but he didn’t respond.
“You know you can’t talk me out of this, right?” I asked. “The only question is, are you—or anyone else—going to come with me?”
Venn finally lifted his gaze to mine, but he completely ignored the question. “You can’t even go after him without the dagger, and Genevieve has it.”
I crossed my arms. “So I'll get it from her. Just remind me again why we trusted her with it?”
Venn took a long breath. “So you wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
I stood. As much as I adored Venn, he was starting to get on my nerves. Was that supposed to happen with soulmates? The thought frustrated me even more. “This isn’t stupid! This is what I’m supposed to do.”
“You aren’t supposed to do anything!” Venn shot to his feet beside me. He stole a quick glance at the patio doors. Fiona caught his eye but turned back to the lake a second later.
“But I should,” I said in a softer tone. “The vampire curse is my fault. I have to be the one to stop it.”
“It’s not your fault, though,” he argued. “You’re different from the girl who created Valkas.”
“Different how?” I challenged. “It was my soul. Maybe I was a different person at the time, but that doesn’t matter. What matters now is that I’m the only one who can stop it. The laws and blood banks have only slowed the vampires down. They haven’t stopped them. They’re still out there murdering people and kidnapping them as blood slaves. They have no compassion or remorse and will do anything to serve their own purpose. Wouldn’t you do something about that if you could?”
“Yes,” he said, “but we have to stop Matias first. If he uses the Artifact before you get to Valkas, you’ll lose your powers. You won’t be able to defend yourself against Valkas. You said yourself that the Artifact doesn’t work on vampires. You’ll be up against him and his vampire strength without any powers of your own.”
“That’s exactly why I have to go. I'll never stand up to Valkas if I lose my magic. What if we fail and Matias uses the Artifact and blocks everyone's magic? I have to get to Gregor Island, kill Valkas, and find my sister all before Matias strikes.”
“Look, we won’t fail. Valkas will be there when we get back.”
“Will he?” I questioned. “What if the Soulless make a move before we get to Matias? What if this is my only chance? If I kill Valkas, we won’t have to worry about Matias.”
“And what about his successor?” Ve
nn pointed out.
“You’re asking me to sign your death certificate,” I’d said to Matias. “Why would you want that? What about your plan to cure the world?”
“Vampirism may seem like a blessing,” Matias had said. “I could do so much with my immortality. But there are far more terrible things about it. The constant bloodlust. The emotional disconnect… Vampirism is truly a curse. Once I’m free of the curse, my successor will take my place and carry out my plan.”
“What if his successor is easier to beat?” I asked. “We could kill the vampires, then go after the Artifact.”
“And what if his successor is worse?” Venn asked softly.
The room went quiet. It appeared we’d reached an impasse. He reached out to pull me into his arms, and I relaxed into his embrace, inhaling his sweet scent. My whole body shivered beneath his touch. There was no way in hell I’d ever want to abandon these strong, protective arms and the comforting smell of home. If he would just come with me…
Venn drew away slightly, and I tilted my head up to meet his dark brown eyes. His gaze flickered down to my lips, and my mouth went dry. Heaven help me. If he was going to kiss me again, I didn’t know if I would ever make it to Gregor Island without him.
“Rae,” he whispered, his eyes glistening. “I know danger is your thing, but this is too risky. What if Valkas finds out who you are?”
“He won’t,” I said with certainty. “I’ll never give him the chance.”
Venn sighed, still holding my gaze. “I know you think that, but—” His voice cracked, and he wrapped his arms around me tighter.
I laid my head on his chest, basking in the warmth of his embrace. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I cleared my throat. “This is a pointless argument, Venn. I know you think you can talk me out of it, but like you said, danger is my thing.”
Venn paused a beat before speaking. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Besides,” I said like it was no big deal, “if I don’t get him this time, I’ll come back in a few years and get another chance. You’ll be drawn to me and recognize me and can tell me all about it.”