Fate Forsaken (19 page)

“Because I didn’t know they were coming. You still need your rest,” Nick answered, setting his hand on her shoulder in an effort to keep her sitting.

Eldon studied his best friend for a moment. What was he up to? He’d stayed to take care of Trinador, sure, but now he seemed—almost protective. He’d never seen his best friend like this, especially with a female.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Eldon said quickly. “I know you’re not feeling well.”

Trinador’s expression hardened. “Nonsense.” She gave Nick a sidelong glance. “Is that what he’s been telling you?”

Nick patted her shoulder. “You need your rest.”

“Don’t tell me what I need. I’m a big girl.” Trinador brushed his hand off her shoulder.

With a smile, Nick reached out to tuck a blond curl behind her ear. “Never said you weren’t.”

Yeah, there was definitely something going on with those two. Eldon fought to keep his expression clear as a strange wave of jealousy and contentment washed over him. He didn’t have feelings for Trinador, but they did have a past. Seeing her with anyone else, even if he didn’t want her like that, invoked some strange sort of possessiveness in him. But Nick? It had been years since he’d seen his friend act like this. And Nick deserved happiness. If Trinador made him happy, even if the affections were one-sided, he’d happily stand back and keep his trap shut.

Trinador rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Eldon. “So why did you come?”

“I need more help,” Eldon said.

“Is that so?” Slowly, Trinador rose from the couch. “Well, I’m glad you came by.” She turned to Rho. “I have a gift for you, vampire.”

Rho jerked her head back, eyes wide. “For me?”

Suspicion stirred in Eldon’s gut, but he held his tongue. Trinador might have been angry with him at their last visit, but she’d never been a vengeful person. She’d never hurt anyone, no matter how angry she was. It simply wasn’t in her nature. Plus, the animosity she’d had toward them both at their last visit seemed to have evaporated. This was the gentle female he remembered.

Trinador stepped toward Rho. “I’ve been thinking.” She pointed a finger from herself to Rho. “We got off to a bad start, you and I, and judging by the look on your face, you’re clearly surprised I’m not jumping off this couch to kick your ass for just being here. So I’m sorry if I was rude to you on our last visit.”

Rho gaped. Eldon imagined his reaction wasn’t far from hers, given the last interaction these two had with each other. Why the sudden change of heart?

Rho wrung her hands together. “I’m sorry we dropped in on you like that. I promise I was as clueless about you as you were about me.”

“Yeah, I gathered. Again, not your fault.” Trinador pointed a thumb over her shoulder at Eldon. “We have this one to blame for that.”

“Sorry.” Eldon wasn’t sure what else to say, but apologies always seemed to work well with women. Especially for the shock he’d put them both through at their first encounter.

“Men. Always acting first and thinking second.” Trinador shook her head. “Like I said, I’ve done some thinking. I’m not going to pretend like my aura is in perfect shape, because it’s not. But I don’t need an aura to help protect you from the death mark you’re sporting.”

Rho stared down at the fae token of death on her forearm. “Really?”

With a soft smile, Trinador nodded. She rose to her feet, only wobbling for a second before she gracefully glided over to an antique cabinet and opened the door, removing a small wooden box before closing the cabinet again. She made her way back to the couch and sat down. “Please, sit.”

Kneeling down beside the table, Rho eyed the box as Trinador set it on the marble coffee table between them.

“What’s in there?” Rho asked.

Trinador cracked the box open then pulled out a long silver chain. Connected to the chain was a thin, milky-white stone carved into a point like an arrowhead. Could that be what he thought it was? He hadn’t seen one of those for years.

“This is a moonstone.” The chain dangled from Trinador’s long, thin fingers as she extended her hand toward Rho. “Well, technically it’s a magick-infused moonstone.”

Carefully, Rho took the necklace. “It’s gorgeous.” She brought it closer to her face to inspect it then frowned. “You didn’t make this while we were gone, did you? Because your aura—”

“Heavens, no,” Trinador cut her off. “I’ve had that for a long, long time. It was my mother’s.”

“I can’t take this.” Rho shook her head and shoved the necklace back toward Trinador. “It’s a family heirloom.”

Trinador barked a laugh. “This whole house is a family heirloom.” She waved a hand toward the walls where the dozens of broken clocks were hung. “Trust me. I have plenty here that my parents gave me.” Clasping Rho’s hand in her own, she pushed the necklace back toward the vampire. “And you need this more than I do.”

“Are you sure?” Eldon stared at Trinador, trying to understand why she’d be so generous. A moonstone like that one could easily fetch a pretty penny for rarity alone. There was no telling what the magick held inside of it could be worth.

“I’m positive.” Trinador patted the top of Rho’s hand, now clutching the necklace.

“What does it do, exactly?” Rho asked.

“It’s a natural shield,” Nick interjected.

Trinador nodded. “The moonstone thrives off of feminine energy, which is why my mother gave it to me. You’ll notice that it changes color as the moon changes, too—brighter during a full moon and darker during a new moon. I used to like watching it change when I was little.” A smile tugged at her lips and her eyes went hazy for a moment, as if recalling a moment from the past. She blinked quickly and refocused on Rho. “This stone should protect you from whatever dark magick resides within that mark on your arm. It will shield you.”

Threading the chain between her fingers, Rho glanced up at Trinador. “Why would you give it to me?”

Excellent question. The atmosphere around it glowed with the force of pure life energy, a token only a trained mover would appreciate. Rho couldn’t see it, but that stone was practically a magickal battery pack.

Nick gazed at Trinador. “That’s quite a gift.”

“I don’t really need it right now. It’s been sitting in that box for years.” Trinador smiled. “You won’t be invincible, but the wearer of that stone cannot be harmed by evil magick. I’d originally thought that since you were a vampire, it wouldn’t work. But Nick reminded me that you aren’t entirely dead. As long as that stone touches your skin, the Moon Mother will protect you and the death mark cannot influence you. It’ll keep the dark magick from robbing you of your energy.”

“But it won’t remove it?” Rho asked.

Trinador shook her head. “That, I cannot do. At least, not yet. But this should neutralize its effects and buy us a little time while we search for an answer.”

“I’m not sure what to say. Thank you hardly seems sufficient.” Rho placed the chain around her neck, the stone resting proudly on the center of her chest. “Are you sure you want to give this away?”

Eldon marveled at the stone. After everything he’d put Trinador through, she was willing to give something like this to Rho?

Trinador met Rho’s eyes. “I trust you’ll give it back to me, when the time is right.”  Rho nodded. “I will.”

Trinador turned to face Eldon. “Now what was it you wanted to show me?”

Chapter Nineteen

R
ho settled into the plush antique chair across from Trinador, fingering the amulet now centered on her chest. It was a striking piece, and if she had to guess, a powerful one, too. The moment she’d put it on, she’d been overcome by a strange sense of calm. Almost as if the relic was telling her not to worry, that she’d be okay.

Suddenly, Trinador’s past with Eldon seemed far less relevant. To say she was humbled by Trinador’s offering would have been an understatement. No one—especially not someone who had every reason to hate her—had ever offered her a token so special before. This stone wasn’t just a pretty gift; it was an offer of protection in the face of death. No matter what had taken place between those two, it was over now, and somehow the moonstone had become like a peace offering between them.

Eldon settled onto the sofa adjacent to Trinador, and Nick shifted closer to Trinador on the couch. Rho arched a brow. Something was up with those two.

“Nick, stop being so overprotective,” Trinador warned, her voice hushed.

“Not overprotective. Just cautious.” Nick set a hand on her knee and patted her gently. “You’d be in that kitchen mixing spells with a half-baked aura if I wasn’t here to stop you.”

Trinador cracked a smile. “Maybe.” The smirk left her face as she glanced up at Eldon. “Tell me why you’re here.”

Eldon sucked in a deep breath, clasping his hands together. “You can’t repeat anything I tell you.” He pegged Nick with a stare. “Nick, you either. Not to anyone.”

Frowning, Nick folded his arms across his chest and leaned back on the couch. “You honestly feel like you have to tell me that, bro?”

“Just putting it on the record,” Eldon said.

Trinador nodded. “I promise I’ll keep your strictest confidence. I’m sure you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t think it was imperative.” The last remark was dry, a reminder of their recent past and that she certainly hadn’t forgotten that he’d shown up on her doorstep with a new girlfriend seeking favors. Rho wouldn’t be able to forget, either, but she forgave him. Even if she didn’t agree with his methods.

Eldon reached into his pocket and set the agate stone on the coffee table. Leaning forward, he settled his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. “Cadence believes that the Collective has been compromised.”

Trinador’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“How?” Nick demanded.

Rho anticipated their surprise. As magick movers, all three of them took their orders from the Collective. The idea that someone within their trusted circle could betray them had to be unsettling.

“We don’t know how, exactly,” Eldon answered. “Someone has been tracking her movements, but we’re not certain who. Or why.”

“Does she have any suspects?” Nick asked.

Eldon shook his head. “None that she’s willing to share.”

“Could they be after the Kamens?” Trinador tapped her thin finger lightly on her chin as she thought. “It’s too coincidental.”

“Cadence found a tracking device on her driver’s car here in Paris. She hid it instead of destroying it, and I hope it will lead us to some clues. I couldn’t touch the tracker because we weren’t sure if there were any trigger spells tied to it, and I didn’t want to lead anyone here, but I was able to cast an impression of it.” Eldon pointed to the agate stone.

“Wouldn’t someone be able to trace the magick in that stone? Are you sure it’s safe?” Rho asked.

Eldon nodded. “The impression is harmless as…taking a photo of a gun. The subject matter of the impression is dangerous, but the impression itself is safe.”

Trinador peered at the table. “If I recall, you’re okay with impression-taking but you suck at reading them. I’m guessing that’s why you’re here.”

“Exactly,” Eldon said.

“No way.” Nick shook his head and rose to his feet. “She can’t read an impression without tapping into her magick, and I won’t let her do that.”

Trinador rolled her eyes and pushed herself up from the couch on shaky legs. “I’m not a child, Nick. I have a burned aura. It happens. Stop treating me like an invalid.”

“I’m not trying to treat you—”

“What if I had a filter?” Trinador interrupted.

“What?” Nick’s brow creased in confusion.

Trinador turned and pointed at Rho. “Rho is a siphon, right? So in a way, she’s a magickal filter. Magick runs through her.”

Magick
did
run through her. And her control was getting better, even though she didn’t get to practice nearly as much as she wanted to.

Nick shook his head. “She can take magick in, not control it on the way out.”

“That’s not true.” Eldon reached out and pulled Rho’s hand into his. The warmth of his touch calmed her instantly, relieving tension she wasn’t even aware she was harboring.

“How?” Nick asked.

“We’ve been working on her skills.” Eldon rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Just the other day, she took in too much energy and couldn’t figure out how to get rid of it. She was able to push it out.”

“See?” Trinador raised her hands triumphantly. “She could be my filter.”

“I don’t like it,” Nick said, his brow creased in worry.

A soft smile touched Trinador’s lips, and she lifted a hand to touch Nick’s arm. “You’re worried about me running magick myself. That I may be too weak to handle it if anything bad happened.” She lifted a shoulder and gazed up at him with wide, kind eyes. “If she acts as my filter, she’d take the brunt of any magick mishaps. Her aura could easily handle it. The spell isn’t risky.”

Eldon’s grip tightened.

Rho rose to her feet and pulled her hand from his hold. “I want to help.”

Eldon frowned. “The reason she can’t run the magick herself is because something
bad
might happen.” He stood and stepped forward, setting a hand on Rho’s cheek. “What if it happens to you?”

Damn him, he knew that when he touched her face like that, it made her weak. Since he’d figured that out, he always used that trick when he was trying to reason with her. Worked every time. And what if he was right? What if she wasn’t strong enough or couldn’t figure out how to get the magick out of her like she did last time?

No. This time, she had an element of protection she didn’t before.

With careful hands, she held up the delicate chain supporting the moonstone around her neck. “Didn’t she give this to me for a reason? Isn’t this for protection?” She glanced from Eldon to Nick then to Trinador. “If it can keep death magick away from me, I’m sure it can keep the lesser evils at bay.”

Eldon clenched his jaw, the muscles in his cheeks flexing as he considered her. “We don’t know that.”

“We won’t be irresponsible.” Rho shook her head then turned to Trinador. “If at any point we think things aren’t going according to plan, we’ll stop. Do you promise to do that?”

“I do,” Trinador answered.

Nick and Eldon exchanged a long glance. Finally, they both ground out, “Fine.”

“All right then.” Trinador gave Rho a victorious smile. “I’ll need your help in the kitchen. Bring that rock.”

Rho snatched the agate from the table and followed her through the hallway and into the kitchen. The pattering of footsteps behind them told her that Nick and Eldon weren’t far behind. She wasn’t sure exactly what help she could be, but Trinador had done more than enough for her already. No way would she deny her assistance when she needed it.

“Nick and Eldon, could you move that kitchen table against the wall for me, please?” Trinador asked.

The men nodded and went to work, moving the chairs and the table to clear a space.

“I’ll need to set two purified circles.” With quick hands, Trinador pulled a bowl, a bag of salt, and a tall, narrow bottle from a cabinet. She cranked the faucet and filled the bowl with water before setting it on the counter.

“What’s in the bottle?” Rho asked.

Trinador cracked the lid and pulled out the glass dropper. “Sage oil. Excellent for purification.” Three drops fell from the dropper into the bowl. She resealed the bottle before sliding the bag of salt across the counter. “Three pinches should do the trick.” She tossed in the three pinches, and the salt settled to the bottom of the bowl.

Rho glanced toward the corner of the kitchen to find Nick and Eldon leaning against the wall, scowling. Eldon met her eyes, his concern obvious in their depths.

“Don’t worry,” Rho mouthed.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment then glanced down at his shoes. Nick didn’t take his focus off of Trinador while she worked.

Rho turned back toward the kitchen to find Trinador with a long knife in her hand. “Crap!” Not exactly what she’d been expecting. “What the hell are you going to do with that?”

“I need blood to bind the spell. Don’t worry, I’ll use mine.” With a quick swipe, Trinador ran the blade across her finger. Blood blossomed along the path, and Rho fought to keep her hunger in check. Damn, she was going to need to feed again soon.

Three drops of blood fell into the bowl, turning the water a rusty blend of orange and red as it mixed with the solution. Reaching across the counter, Trinador pulled an engraved metal spatula from a container on the countertop.

Rho watched intently as Trinador added more ingredients, mixing things together as easily as a professional chef would in a home kitchen. Her demeanor was calm but focused, every action a precise calculation. She reminded Rho a little of herself in the middle of a fight, all strength and skill.

Once Trinador mixed the contents of the bowl, she wandered over to the far side of her kitchen, where the table and chairs were now pressed neatly against the wall. Trinador dropped to the ground and set the bowl beside her then cupped a hand and scooped out the mixture.

Rho opened her mouth but Trinador cut her off. “I’m setting two circles. One for you and one for me.” She traced the first circle along the floor, nearly four feet across, using the bowl’s contents as some sort of paint. Then she drew a second one to match.

Finished, she rose from the ground and set the bowl on the countertop. “Sit right there.” She glanced at Rho and pointed to the first circle she’d drawn.

Nerves fluttered in Rho’s stomach as she followed instructions, careful not to touch the circle. She settled in the center. Trinador placed a yellow candle inside the circle to Rho’s left. Swiping her hand quickly over the wick, a tiny flame erupted and the candle lit itself.

Setting another candle in the opposite circle, Trinador sat down across from Rho and lit that candle as well. “You ready for this?”

Rho nodded.

“Place the rock in your hand, palm facing up,” Trinador instructed.

Rho drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, hoping to ease the tension building in her mind. She extended her hand holding the agate. Would this feel the same as the magick she’d pulled from Eldon before? Or did age and gender make a difference?

Trinador extended her own hand over the stone, palm to the floor. “I’m going to begin now. Don’t move.” She closed her eyes. “What to us was once concealed, let it be at once revealed.”

Blue fire erupted from the ground in two perfect circles, rising a foot off the floor in the exact path that Trinador had traced with her hands. The nerves that had been flittering started to gallop, and Rho’s gaze shot up to meet Eldon’s. He nodded. This was normal. No need to panic. Although magick spells really should come with some sort of a warning. Spontaneous blue fire would be nice to know about in advance.

Trinador continued, “Though this stone is impression cast, reveal the original tracker’s past.”

A path of blue fire rose from the ground beneath Rho’s hand, rushing into the stone through her palm. The fire tingled but didn’t hurt, and she fought the urge to pull her hand away.

Trinador’s palm began to glow as the stone beneath illuminated. “Show us from whence the magick came, and give if you can the caster’s name.”

The blue flames swirled around their palms, the energy flowing through Rho differently than it ever had before. This time, there was no fullness or taking of the magick on her part. It flowed through her like water running through her hands, easily and painlessly.

Trinador’s words were clear and strong, much stronger than she appeared, still frail and in her peach nightgown. “Protect us now from malicious will. Harm us not by what you reveal.”

Heat intensified in Rho’s palm as the stone grew brighter, glowing a furious red like a hot ember from a fire. At once, the blue flame shot toward the ceiling then reversed direction and hit Trinador squarely in the chest. The fire rushing around the two circles evaporated.

“Eldon!” Rho shouted.
Not again
. She couldn’t let Trinador get hurt. Hadn’t the magick been running through her? Wasn’t she a filter?

“It’s okay,” Eldon called. He and Nick didn’t move from the corner. “Give her a second. She’s reading the impression.”

Rho glanced up to find Trinador with her head tilted back toward the ceiling, her eyes flittering as if she were having another seizure. “Are you sure this is normal?” Why the hell did magick always have to look so damn scary?

“Yes,” Nick answered. “Weird, but normal.”

Worried, Rho waited for the episode to pass. Several minutes later, Trinador flopped forward on the tile. She began coughing uncontrollably, and Rho rushed forward through the circle to kneel at her side.