Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) (17 page)

A
caravan
of vehicles headed south on Route One. We didn’t know where we were headed exactly, but we knew we had to outrun the Hunters who would be at Derreck’s property soon. There were too many women still pregnant and unable to shift, so we traveled the old fashioned way. And I hated it.

I sat in the passenger seat, Baleon behind the wheel, both of us silent. In order to pack all our supplies, we had to bring multiple vehicles. The pregnant women were spread across them, just in case we were ambushed. Lilith took up the back of Elias’s Suburban, the massive Tigress ready to give birth to her kittens at any moment. Willow brought up the rear. The healer who helped remove my mother’s spell was now a leader among the women.

Our SUV held the most occupants, but the majority were unbound and not pregnant, which meant they shifted into smaller animals to stay more comfortable. Most took the form of small cats, curled up together and sleeping through the journey. The rest watched out the windows, likely holding conversations telepathically.

My thoughts drifted back to the AniMages attempted coup. They believed I was leverage. They believed that even now, my mother would allow me back. That she would want me to take my place as the Prince of Immortals.

And she would.

I sat straighter, looking at everything and nothing at once as my mind churned with possibilities. She would take me back. She would trust me if I told her I was coming back, because she couldn’t prove otherwise. It had irritated her to no end that she could never read my mind, but she had at least acknowledged that it gave me some right to my position. I was more than “just a Mage”.

“Prince Mikail?” Bale questioned softly, giving me a sideways look. “I do not like the look on your face.”

I smirked, and responded, “No, Bale, I don’t suppose you do. You won’t like this at all.”

He sighed. His eyes closed briefly as he shook his head. Bale was used to following me into situations he disliked. The fact that I was able to keep him out of sight in Brighton was a feat of wills, especially the day Bethany and Amelia showed up at Esmerelda’s. Bale had been around a corner with a message from Tragar when they arrived to ambush Aidan and me.

Bethany.
That memory took me in directions I did not want to go. I hated not knowing where she was or how she was. I hoped Cole was taking care of her like he’d promised. If he didn’t keep her safe, there was a good chance I’d kill him myself. And it wouldn’t be hard now that he had no power and Amelia wasn’t around to protect him.

I sighed. Bethany deserved more than me, though. She deserved someone who could truly protect her, and love her, and age with her. Her frustration with Immortals was apparent when she left. She didn’t need me, even if I needed her.

I had to focus. Realizing what I had to say next couldn’t be overheard, I switched to telepathy.

We’re going back to Cresthaven.

We will not
, he responded. His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, his eyes flaring orange. I dug into the glovebox and handed him a pair of dark sunglasses.

We will. We must. She will never expect it.
I settled back in my seat, looking out at the road ahead. We were on the Pacific Coast Highway and the winding road gave me the opportunity to stare out at the ocean.

I heard Bale grind his teeth together.
What is it she will not be expecting, Prince Mikail?

Me, to come home, and kill her,
I responded without looking away from the crashing waves.

The car jerked as Bale swiveled in his seat, his mouth open. He quickly righted himself, and the car.

Of all the statements for you to make, that was the one I had hoped you wouldn’t.
He sighed.
You do not understand the weight of a life, Mikail. It will take a part of your soul. And your own mother? That is not what you want. Why now? What has changed?

I held out my hand and a thin piece of leather appeared. I yanked my hair back and quickly secured it before rolling the window down halfway. The salty sea air rushed in, taking his words away and giving me renewed strength.

In a low whisper, I said, “We searched for her hidden chamber for years, Bale. We knew she was taking women, but we didn’t know why and were never able to find them. My mother was kidnapping our people, essentially raping them, and then forcing them to have children she either killed or took. She would have made Amelia do the same, or likely worse. She is mad, and this cannot continue. I am the Prince of the Immortals. If she is gone, I can rule. Amelia and Aidan may or may not find anything of value in Syria, but in the meantime, I can put us on the path to the right future. And she will never suspect a thing.”

It seemed like the only logical solution, yet Baleon looked at me like I had lost my mind. He flipped on his signal and pulled to the side of the road. When the SUV was in park, he ordered everyone to stay inside, got out, and came to my side. As he opened my door, he waved at Elias and Willow to stay in their vehicles. I slowly got out, wondering where this was going. Bale looked down at me, his eyes suddenly sad. Then, he knelt in front of me, and I immediately understood.

He tried to speak, and I yelled for him to get up. I pulled at his jacket and eventually launched at his shoulders, trying to knock him over, to stop him in some way. Left with no other choice, I finally yelled, “I command you to get up and be quiet!”

Baleon’s mouth snapped shut and he stood, but his eyes burned orange and he glared, furious. He couldn’t refuse my command, it was part of his original oath to me.

“I will not allow you to make that oath, Bale. You have already made one to me and I will not put that on you. This is my choice. My mother damaged our people, our future, my friends, and…me,” I finished quietly, my eyes dropping as my anger deflated to resolve. “This is my choice, Bale. I appreciate what you tried to do, but the best you can do for me now is help me. We both know the world will be better for it. Now, speak your turn.”

His glare faded. “It has been many years since you exercised that ability,” he said with a smirk. We both remembered the night I decided I would run away. I commanded Baleon to help me. He packed my bag and ushered me through the halls toward the grounds of Cresthaven. We were almost at the main gate when he started to ask me questions. “Where will we go, how will we eat, what will we do for money in the human world…?” Questions I had no idea how to answer at eleven years old. Eventually, I was more scared of the outside than the inside.

“I will not dissuade you now as I did then,” he said. “You are a man, Prince Mikail, a fine man. And you know your own soul and what it can withstand. If this is the will of the Gods, then so be it. I will protect you as I always have.” Baleon pulled his fist to his heart and gave me a small bow.

Once back on the road, the cell phone we’d picked up from a gas station along the highway started ringing. Elias explained since we were already heading toward Brighton, we should just take everyone back to the caves the AniMages had previously used. There were supplies, it was well hidden, and magic barriers helped reinforce the cloaking. I couldn’t disagree with his logic, and was glad to know we had a destination. Now, I also knew how quickly Baleon and I could get back on the road.

To Cresthaven. To kill my mother.

I said those words in my mind, over and over, waiting for them to make me feel guilty. The guilt had yet to show. The only reaction was a need for action. My foot tapped a quick rhythm on the floorboard and I jumped as a hand reached out and grasped my shoulder.

“It’s only me, Micah, don’t be alarmed.” Cora’s soft voice floated up from behind me. She crouched just behind my seat. I turned to her and brought a forced smile to my face.

“We should be to our destination in a few hours,” I said. She nodded, sliding her hand from my shoulder to my elbow.

“I know. Dillon is quite anxious to show me where he’s been living while I was…away.” Cora looked back over her shoulder to Dillon’s sleeping form. Her eyes were filled with such love and I hated the twinge of jealousy that rose inside me.

“But that’s not why I’m here,” she continued. “Micah, you should wait for Amelia and Aidan to return. I know you’re planning something, but they will bring back knowledge you need. Do not act hastily. What has happened to our people occurred over decades, it cannot be undone in a day.”

I sat straighter. Indignant, I leaned in, my words just above a whisper. “I would kindly ask you to stay out of this, Cora.”

Her hopeful expression faded as she nodded. “I see. I will do that then. Good luck, Prince Mikail.”

I turned to face forward and caught a knowing look from Baleon that I chose to ignore.

I
hadn’t actually been
to Elias’s caves, though I’d made the trek there from the confines of Amelia’s mind when she went to rescue Bethany. The steps were foreign, though the landscape was familiar. I picked my way through the trees, distracted by my own thoughts. I was ready to go. I was ready to be alone in the car with Bale so we could make our plans and get on with it.

Once on the larger path, Willow stepped up beside me. “It’s strange not being able to read you like we can normally read each other. Your emotions are a blank space, but your body is not. I see the weight you carry. Would you like to talk about it? I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

Her voice pulled at me and I briefly considered asking her opinion, but I shook my head quickly and dismissed the notion. “No,” I barked out, before backtracking. I swallowed my defensive tone and tried again. “I mean, thank you, Willow, but no, I do not need to talk.”

Willow looked up at me, her green eyes the same color as the magic flowing through her. Green grass on a summer day after a good rain, that’s what her eyes made me think of. She continued to stare at me, both of us stopped in the middle of the trail. The moment I decided to look away, she brought her hand to my chest and placed it over my heart.

“Your pain is buried, but it won’t stay that way. Be careful what reason you give it to come forward. You can either rid yourself of it, or it will consume you,” she said, eyes filled with compassion and worry. Then she turned away and continued up the path, leaving me standing there, missing the warmth of her hand and wondering how she knew.

At that same moment, Dillon streaked past me, a jack rabbit in human form. I caught a high pitched “‘scuse me” as he rushed past. I shook my head and followed him. Baleon was a few steps behind me and I motioned him forward. As we walked in stride, he spoke.

“Do you feel right leaving them so soon, Prince Mikail? We cannot guarantee their safety here, and we need them for the same reasons your mother did. They can carry life. We have no future to protect without offspring.” Bale’s words were true, and I’d thought over this issue myself many times.

“Elias says they will be safe. And we won’t be gone long. We have to do this, Bale. There is no other way into Cresthaven. You know Rhi will have taken charge of the Hunters. My mother will want vengeance.” I squeezed my fists, the muscles in my body coiled tight. I had never fought my mother overtly. I made choices she didn’t know of and I helped those opposed to her, but I never stood against her like I did the day we rescued Amelia.

It felt good.

It felt good to fight for the right side of this war, to fight for my people. I was their Prince and we had lived like this for too long. Tragar couldn’t remember a time before my grandfather’s rule. He couldn’t remember a time when people hadn’t whispered about the Elders and wondered why there wasn’t more information about where we came from and what we were here for.

We weren’t human and we didn’t fit in with humans. Before my mother lost her mind, we were cloistered in one area, required to stay there. It was ridiculous. All of it. I wanted my people back together, by their choice. I wanted to sit on my family throne and make decisions that would help us grow, help us come together as one Immortal people, no matter our individual races. My mother wouldn’t be the only issue, Rhi was sure to be a challenge of his own, but it was a beginning. If I could take the throne, at least I could start to bring people together. I could show them the Clair blood was not tainted through and through.

We finally emerged into the clearing leading to the caves. Bale and I were the last to arrive and it was already a busy scene. People went this way and that way as they aired out blankets, unpacked supplies, and rested after the hike.

I hadn’t taken two steps forward when I heard, “Thank you, sweet baby Jesus.” I knew that voice. My head shot up and swiveled back and forth. I had to be hearing things. I was scanning the campsite when she spoke again. “Micah, I’m here. Goddamn all this magic shit, I’m right here!”

Her voice came from directly in front of me, but there was nothing there. “Bethany?” I questioned. I waved a hand in the empty space in front of me and felt something I instantly knew I shouldn’t have. I had felt that particular part of her just once, and had to get permission first. I started to apologize when Bethany’s still invisible palms connected with my chest, shoving me back a step.

I grunted, always impressed with the force such a small girl could put out. “You have to show yourself. Bloody hell, woman, I can’t see you!”

“I don’t know how! Amelia did this to me and then we just left. I don’t know how to show myself!” Bethany shrieked, her panic unnerving. Bethany didn’t panic.

I held my hands out, trying to calm her down. I wasn’t even sure I was looking in the right place. “Concentrate on me. You have to focus on the fact that you know me and want me to see you.”

Baleon interjected at that point, but stayed back away from us. “You can also decide to show yourself to everyone here, but if you do that, you cannot be cloaked again. The spell will be undone.”

“Undone? Like completely undone? I don’t know. No, I do. I can do that.” She still sounded panicked. I was starting to worry. It wasn’t like Bethany to lose control like this.