Fate Forsaken (2 page)

Chapter Two

A
colorful slew of curse words bubbled on Rho’s tongue as she fought the urge to launch herself across the room. Rhyannon, the queen of the fae, sat right at the table like she owned the thing. She’d nearly killed Eldon and would have gladly taken Rho out, too, if she’d been given the chance.

Absently, Rho took a step forward. A firm hand wrapped around her arm, and she stopped in place.

Don’t say a word,
Frederick instructed her silently.

Yeah. Easier said than done. Her instincts were firing off like flares in her brain, the very presence of this woman taking her to the edge of reason. The calming vibes Frederick sent to her helped a little, but the queen’s toxic presence stole a seat in the front of her consciousness.

It was everything Rho could do just to keep her feet planted on the ground.

She’s the one, Frederick. She tried to kill me.

When the queen had thrown a bomb of death magick at Eldon, Rho’d lit the woman up with enough ley line fire to level an office building.

He released her arm.
I’ve already spoken to Cadence. They’ve suspected her for a while but we have no proof. Say anything now and you could compromise their investigation.

Rho bit the inside of her cheek and fought a silent battle with herself to keep her mouth shut. The queen’s ensemble resembled the one she’d worn the night she’d tried to kill them, all emerald green with flowing skirts. Just as before, her long ebony hair was intertwined with flowers and twigs. The fae really took the nature theme to the next level. Rhyannon perched forward in her seat, her wings flickering blue and pink against the artificial light.

Rhyannon’s brilliant green stare met Rho’s. The queen’s ruby lips curled into a dark smile, the knowledge in her eyes truly frightening. This was all a game to her. Before they’d started this mission, Eldon had told her the fae liked trying to outsmart and outpace their opponents. Clearly she thought she had this victory in the bag.

So sorry to disappoint you, bitch,
Rho thought. How dare she come in here to meet with the Council, pretending like she wasn’t the one trying to stab them all in the back? If she seriously thought she could get away with her actions, the fairy had to be delusional.

Two of the men Rho didn’t know shifted in their chairs, discomfort written all over their puckered expressions. Why were they here?

The third rose up from his chair to stand beside the leader of the Collective. His red hair was a perfect complement to the spattering of freckles across his nose, somehow boyish despite his serious demeanor. He straightened his navy suit jacket before turning his attention to Frederick. Although he’d paired his jacket with jeans, so she wasn’t sure what sort of look the guy was going for. Business casual, maybe?

Cadence stepped toward Frederick and extended a hand. “Frederick, how nice of you to come.”

“The pleasure is mine.” He grasped her hand and laid a gentle kiss on top.

Gross.

Cadence beamed. “Always such fantastic manners.” Her gaze shifted to Rho. “Rhowen Vasile, we meet again.” She spoke the name as if it were a bad taste she wanted to get out of her mouth, somehow an acknowledgment and an insult wrapped in one.

Damn, Rho hadn’t had her patience challenged this much in…ever. Getting the hell out of the room sounded like a wonderful plan right about now.

She shoved the thought aside and tried to be polite. “Nice to see you again.”

“Frederick, you remember Max, my assistant?”

“Of course.” Frederick extended a hand to meet Max’s. “Pleasure.”

“Likewise.”

With a nod, Rho said, “Nice to meet you.”

Cadence motioned toward one of the two mystery men at the table. “This is Ash, the
forerunner
of the werewolves. As Tim is now your teammate and otherwise occupied, he was kind enough to make himself available to us.”

Rho followed Frederick’s lead and offered only a polite nod. The man’s broad shoulders and gigantic biceps screamed bodybuilder, but his mocha eyes were calculating. He didn’t move from his chair or bother to say hello. Instead, he sat there, glaring. The weight of his stare made her feel heavier in her shoes.

What’s a forerunner?
Rho prompted her boss.

Leader of the wolves.

Isn’t that an Alpha?
Tim was an Alpha. Maybe this guy was like him?

No. This is the Alpha of the Alphas.

Oh, shit. Tim bowed down to no one, most especially not another wolf. To think this man could subdue him with the weight of his power alone made a shiver crawl up her spine.

“And this”—Cadence motioned toward the other man—“is David. I understand Alexander is ill.”

Please
. He wasn’t ill at all. After unveiling his true status as a fraud to Preshea and the team, Alexander was probably hiding until he could find a way to maintain his power if they outed him. His family had ruled the shifters for generations, and as it so happened, he’d been operating on borrowed power.

Cadence continued, “As such, David will take his place in these proceedings.”

David was a small, thin man. Or perhaps he only seemed small sitting next to the Incredible Hulk. Either way, Rho knew better than to underestimate a shifter. They could transform into anything on a moment’s notice, and based on what she’d seen from Preshea, that
anything
could be scary as hell. And gigantic.

The Collective leader motioned toward the queen of the fae. “I believe you’ve met Rhyannon?”

Frederick nodded, and Rho resumed her cheek biting. God, what she wouldn’t give to get out of this room and away from the poisonous stare of that woman.

Cadence didn’t bother introducing Costel, Frederick’s boss and uncle, as she settled into a seat and swept her hand in front of her. “Please, do sit down.”

Right. Like now was a good time for a cup of tea or some shit.

Rho plopped into the seat next to her boss, anxious to get the show on the road. Besides being incredibly uneasy about the amount of power held by the people in this room, she still had a job to do. The team needed her, and they were burning important time sitting here in this powwow.

“Madame Collective,” Frederick started, his voice respectful but firm. “Perhaps you could tell us why you called us here today?”

“Certainly.” Cadence tapped her fingers on the table. “How should I begin?” she asked, the question rhetorical.

“You can begin by charging that girl with theft.” Rhyannon pointed a finger across the room, directly at Rho. “I demand her death.”

“Absolutely not.” Frederick’s response was sharp.

Everyone had to know Rhyannon’s accusation was baseless. This very Council had assigned Rho a spot on the team sent to retrieve the Kamens, and she’d done as they’d asked. One of her teammates already had the werewolf’s Kamen in his possession. They hadn’t exactly reported the one they’d found, which happened to belong to the fae queen, but that wasn’t important right now. What
was
important was proving her innocence.

Although she had no idea how to accomplish that, considering she was guilty as hell.

Rhyannon folded her arms across her chest. “She’s stolen from me. Everyone knows that’s punishable by death.”

In a brave move, Cadence reached over and patted the queen on the shoulder. “Every fae creature knows this, yes, but she isn’t subject under your rule. And you cannot prove she has stolen it.”

“I no longer possess it,” the queen scoffed. “What more proof do you need?”

“You are well aware there are many Kamens missing already,” Costel spoke up. “Perhaps your efforts would be better founded by seeking out those targets.”

Rhyannon flung a hand up in protest. “Ridiculous.”

The forerunner cleared his throat, the mere sound enough to draw everyone’s attention. “This girl is a child with no magickal abilities of her own. How would you expect her to infiltrate anything you wished to protect?”

The fae queen snarled. “She does have powers. You know she does.”

What?

Rho’s gaze snapped up. No one should have known about her abilities. Only Nick and Rhyannon had even witnessed what had happened, and one of those people was sworn to secrecy. Eldon had caught a glimpse, but she’d bet her life he’d never tell a soul. Neither would his best friend, Nick. And she wasn’t sure why, but she’d never in a million years expected Rhyannon to tattle on her like this. What could possibly be in it for her? And what did she mean by
they knew
she had powers? Did she tell them before Rho got here?

Silence stretched as she waited for someone to clarify the statement. Surely they couldn’t have said what she thought she’d heard. Rho caught Frederick’s expression, a combination of surprise and dread that chilled her to the bone. Had she been exposed for what she truly was?

“Your abilities are no secret to us, Rhowen,” Costel said quietly.

Every muscle in Rho’s body tensed. She stared around the room in shock, Eldon’s words reverberating through her brain.
Half-breeds aren’t well received. In the old days they were exterminated.
He’d told her to keep her abilities a secret, and other than her team, she hadn’t spoken a word about it to anyone. How could they know?

“What abilities?” Frederick’s brow furrowed. “What are they talking about?” He turned to Rho expectantly.

Rho didn’t dare answer the question. She planned on letting this one play out for as long as she could. Speaking up would only fuel the fire, and she didn’t need to give them any more intel on her than they already had.

No one spoke for a moment before Cadence cleared her throat. “She’s not entirely vampire. We’ve been observing her for years.”

Rho’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?” Surely she couldn’t have heard that right. They’d known about her abilities for
years
? And no one had thought to
tell her about them
? “What the
hell
are you talking about?”

“It would do you well to remember your audience, child,” Costel snapped.

As if his words slapped her across the face, she turned away from the group. Her mind was reeling, her chest tight. Tears burned in her eyes, but she wouldn’t dare let them fall. Not here. She’d been violated in the past, but somehow this betrayal cut far, far deeper.

Costel knew. He’d probably always known, and yet he’d never said a damn thing. She needed to understand the truth about herself. Her life to this point had been a series of traumatic events and karmic hiccups, and the people in this room had known it all along.

Well, maybe not Frederick. His eyes were too wide for this not to be a surprise. “What are you talking about?” he asked the panel.

“Please,” Rho added. She had to know.

Cadence continued to strum her fingers on the slick surface of the table. “Your father was a siphon, your mother a human. You, by nature, were both.” She lifted a hand through the air as she spoke. “Our usual policy is to exterminate half-breeds. They dilute the abilities of their kin and their magick tends to be erratic. They’re more of a nuisance than any good.”

Rho’s stomach flopped and she fought to keep down her recent blood meal. This woman spoke as if being a nuisance was an excellent excuse for genocide. As if executing a child for her DNA was no big deal.

“In your case, however, we made an exception.” Her gaze leveled on Rho. “Siphons are extraordinarily rare creatures. Almost extinct. The Council decided to let you live.”

Rho was half expecting them to break out into applause or pat themselves on the back for a job well done. They’d
allowed
her to live. Like she should be grateful for the opportunity to survive. Her knuckles were white as she clenched the front of her chair, trying to reel in her anger.

“You were not, however, intended to be turned into a vampire.” Cadence’s gaze met Costel’s, the accusation hanging in the air between them.

Costel shook his head slowly. “We didn’t know it was possible. I only sent Frederick out to watch over her. When he turned her it was…not something I expected.”

“You…you…” Rho sputtered, barely able to comprehend the words coming out of the king’s—
her
king’s—mouth. “
That’s
why you had Frederick track me?”

Since the beginning they’d been there, hiding in the darkness. For years she thought she’d gone insane. Every night had been a new exercise in absolute terror. She’d sworn to her foster parents that she was being watched, and they’d sent her to shrink after shrink, trying to figure out the source of her paranoia.

No one had been able to handle her, and once they’d told her she was schizophrenic, no one wanted to take her in. People didn’t want to foster older kids anyway, and certainly not ones with those kinds of issues. All of those years she’d been alone and afraid, and these people
knew.
They’d been the cause of her anxieties all along.

She gulped and drew a deep breath, allowing the elaborate framework of fear from her childhood to click into place. It all made sense now. Frederick shot her a sympathetic half smile, but it didn’t make a dent in her emotions. The sense of betrayal ran much too deep.