Fate Forsaken (3 page)

“We had to see if you exhibited magickal abilities the Council could use,” Cadence said.

Rho wrung her hands together, trying to get a grip on herself. “You planned to
use
me?”

“Siphons have proved to be valuable assets in the past.” Cadence lifted a shoulder. “If they can be found.”

Rho ran a hand through her long mane. “This is just too much…”

“We cannot allow this.” Rhyannon shot up from her seat.

“With all due respect, your majesty,” David, the quiet, small man at the table, spoke up. “She doesn’t appear to be harming anyone.”

Rhyannon drew a sharp breath. “I saw her use her magick! The night she stole from me, she siphoned my power.” She pointed a finger to her own chest. “
Mine.
The queen of the fae.”

“But—” David started.

“She is now both a siphon and one of the undead.” Rhyannon motioned toward Rho in a grand gesture. “She wields magick but is impervious to death. Tell me how that is not a threat to every one of us.”

Silence fell as they reflected on the statement.

Rho hadn’t even considered that part of her condition, and yet she couldn’t deny it. Her vampire half meant she’d be virtually un-killable, just as all vampires were. Her siphon half meant she might be able to rob people of their magickal gifts, even if she’d only done it once. And even if she didn’t mean to.

“Sit down, Rhyannon,” Cadence ordered. She paused before saying, “We’ll take this new information into consideration, but you know policy dictates there must be a formal hearing.”

“You can’t kill her for who she is,” Frederick said softly. “She’s been this same person since her turning, and you allowed her to live this long.” His expression was grave, which told Rho everything she needed to know. He knew she was going to die.

Her heart sank further into the ground and she gulped. She’d always known she would die, but she’d errantly assumed it would be in a fight. Or an execution gone wrong. Possibly even on a mission to retrieve the Kamens. But she’d never considered the possibility that she’d be exterminated simply for being who she was. She’d been born into this path. She’d never chosen it. How could they kill her for something she couldn’t prevent?

“She has now used the power we’d hoped she’d never be able to access. She’s a liability to everyone in the DarqRealm,” Rhyannon growled as she settled back into her chair.

Oh, God.
Was
she a liability? Eldon had been trying to teach her how to use her magick, but they hadn’t been successful so far. No matter how many hours they’d worked at it, she couldn’t repeat what she’d done before. But she could work harder. Learn to control herself. Prove to the others she wasn’t a danger.

“You can’t do this,” Frederick pleaded.

“We are the leaders of our people. We’ll do as we wish.” Costel’s jaw was as hard as his personality, his dark brows drawn over even darker eyes. His black hair had been slicked back to his skull, showing off his tan skin—an unusual feature for the undead. Perhaps his Spanish heritage transcended death. Regardless, the Lamia King only cared about himself and Danielle, his mate, and ensuring they retained their power in the DarqRealm. Everyone else was secondary, at best. Even his nephew.

Frederick lowered his voice and stepped toward their king. “Costel, I beg of you, please see reason. She’s my creation. She’s only done as the Council instructed.”

“She’ll have her chance to speak at the hearing,” Costel answered.

Rho ground her teeth, trying to keep from arguing. There would be no point in disagreeing with anyone in this room. Of the people in attendance, she was the lowest on the totem pole. No one would care what she said, if they bothered to listen at all.

Rhyannon sat up straight in her chair. “Speaking of which, I demand my Kamen be returned at once.”

Rho lifted her eyes to meet the queen’s and scowled. “I don’t have it.” That was a half-truth. They’d hidden it, so technically she didn’t have it. And she’d rather die than give that woman any of the Kamens. They hadn’t figured out why Rhyannon was after them, but whatever the reason was, she’d been willing to attempt murder to get what she wanted. Whatever she needed them for couldn’t be good.

“Lies! You know you took—” Rhyannon started.

“Stop it! Both of you will be silent or I’ll shut you up myself.” Cadence’s voice echoed across the expanse of the room, hushing them instantly. Her gaze narrowed as it fell once again to Rho. “In light of your newfound abilities, the Council must decide what to do with you.”

“What to… I’m sorry, what do you mean ‘decide what to do’ with me?” Rho asked.

“I mean exactly that. There will be a trial to determine whether you are a threat to the DarqRealm. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to defend your right to live,” Cadence said.

Don’t
worry?
How the hell could she not worry? “But I haven’t threatened anybody! I didn’t even know I could—”

Cadence cut her off. “You’ve had your opportunity to speak.”

“No, I haven’t! You haven’t listened to anything—”

“Enough.” Cadence lifted a hand. “Frederick, take her home.”

“But—”

“Do
not
make her tell you again, Rhowen,” Costel barked.

Rho shut her mouth and swallowed hard. As much as her anger burned in her throat, Costel was probably trying to be helpful for once. Her best bet on surviving right now probably involved getting the hell out of this room.

She glanced around to find an exit just as Frederick grabbed her elbow. He shuffled her out of the room, and despite his excessively tight grip on her, she didn’t resist. She was too numb to argue with anyone anymore.

It wasn’t until they got back to the car and peeled out of the driveway that Frederick spoke. “I’m going to try to appeal to Costel. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”

She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. The king was the king. No one of their kind was above him, and he’d obey nothing but his own conscience. Which could be a problem, seeing as how he didn’t have one.

“I’ll start researching the Council’s policies to see if there are any loopholes.” He slammed a fist against the steering wheel, making her flinch in surprise. “I can’t
believe
Costel never told me. Our world has no tolerance for half-breeds. None.”

“I didn’t know.”

“It’s not a common problem because they’re not allowed to exist. And why didn’t you tell me what had happened with Rhyannon when I came to see you?”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry. I should have. I just… I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to bring it up until I knew more.”

He shook his head and refocused on the road. “I’ll figure something out.”

A thought dawned on her. “Why me, Frederick?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why me? Why did Costel pick me for this mission? We both know I’m not really even old enough to be the executioner, let alone represent the vampire nation.” She’d accepted the position, but she’d never understood why she’d been chosen. With only two undead years under her belt, she didn’t have the experience to be given such responsibilities. What could Costel be thinking? What was his motive?

Eldon shook his head. “I don’t know.” He gave her a sidelong glance but didn’t say anything else.

With a deep sigh, she buried her head in her hands. Her thoughts drifted to Eldon then Preshea and Tim.

She couldn’t tell her teammates about any of this. They couldn’t afford more distractions right now. Not when they had so much on their plates. She already had a death mark on her arm, courtesy of Rhyannon, and while her vampire nature might prolong its effects, she couldn’t avoid death altogether. It was coming for her.

She shook her head. Between finding the Kamens and trying to find a remedy for her death mark, she wouldn’t let her teammates shoulder one more burden on her behalf.

“I need you to do something for me,” Frederick said.

“Name it.”

He flipped his turn signal and sped into the curve. When their path straightened, he shot her a level stare. “Get out of town. Immediately.”

Chapter Three

R
ho popped her knuckles and shook out her hands. “It’s not working.” She’d been standing with Eldon in the field outside the safe house for hours, and her patience was starting to wear thin.

February nights were damn cold in Austin, even if she was a vampire. Or at least partially one. Her toes and fingers were sore from the chilly night air, no socks or gloves thick enough to keep out the blasts of wind. Just because she couldn’t get hypothermia didn’t mean she enjoyed freezing her ass off. She tucked her nose inside the top of her jacket.

Time to suck it up. The only hope she had of surviving the Council’s trial would be if she could learn to control her powers. She had no idea how long she’d be able to keep the team in the dark about her predicament, but she needed to figure out a diversion quick.

Even though the safe house was locked down with more magick and security features than she’d ever seen before in her life, the sooner they left the better. The Council had resources. If they wanted to find her, they would.

“You’re not trying hard enough.” Eldon took a step closer to her and held up his hand again. His brilliant blue eyes crinkled around the edges as he focused on her, the cool breeze rushing along his coffee-colored hair and forcing a section to stand on end.

If he wasn’t so impossibly good-looking, she’d be inclined to slug him for that last comment. “I am, too!” With wishful eyes, she glanced toward the house. “Why do we have to do this outside?”

“Because my homeowner’s policy doesn’t cover damage caused by magick flames.”

“I only blasted someone with ley line fire once,” she snapped.

He’d been unconscious by the time she’d slammed Rhyannon with enough emerald energy to level an office building. Much to his dismay—and hers—she hadn’t been able to duplicate the action since.

Eldon shook his head, his shaggy hair framing his captivating eyes as he lowered his hand. “If Nick says it was green fire, it was green fire.”

Nick, on the other hand, had seen exactly what happened that night, green fire and all. As Eldon’s best friend, he’d filled him in on every detail of what he’d witnessed. But regardless of how she’d wound up here, freezing her ass off, she needed to learn how to control her powers. Her life depended on it.

Preshea and Tim hovered near the living room window, mugs in hand, watching as Eldon tried to school her in magick manipulation. Unsuccessfully.

“I told you,” Rho said. “It just happened. I didn’t
do
anything.” Frustration levels at max capacity, she ground her teeth. Despite trying over and over again, she hadn’t lit so much as a spark of magick.

“Well, you must have done something.” Eldon held up his hand again. As far as magick movers went, he was one of the most talented movers on the planet. His ability to manipulate the ley lines was exactly what had led her to him in the first place. He’d sold her the spells she needed to guard the Kamen she’d been sworn to protect—the one that had disappeared from inside her own coven. They still hadn’t discovered who’d managed to pull off the spell to steal it.

Rho’s eyes narrowed. The wind whipped against trees, and she tucked an escaped strand of blond hair behind her ear. “So we’re going to stand here all night until I achieve the impossible.”

“Not impossible. Improbable.”

She snorted. “Isn’t
that
the story of my life.”

Her life had been nothing short of a magick-infused Lifetime television drama, starting when her parents were killed. She’d ended up in the foster system at the age of fourteen and turned vampire after being assaulted and left for dead at the ripe old age of twenty-four. And now, as if she weren’t weird enough, she had some new ability to manipulate magick. Sporadically.

Rho stomped her foot and rubbed her palms against her jeans then snorted a laugh. Man, she sucked at failing. Life was made up of winners and losers, and she did
not
accept placement in the latter category. Nothing frustrated her more than being unable to accomplish a goal. Especially such an important one.

“Hey.” Eldon wrapped his massive arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. He was so tall he fit her perfectly and so warm he melted her defenses. “At least you’re a vampire. I’m freezing my cojones off over here and you don’t hear me complaining about it.” His voice was deep and smooth, the tenor enough to set her at ease and light her insides on fire at the same time.

She laughed as she buried her head in his broad chest and settled her arms around his waist. “That’s only because you get to be in charge.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

Squeezing him closer, she breathed in his familiar scent of fresh soap and dark spices. She loved being with him, just like this. Despite every demon in her closet, and in the face of those in their world who would condemn their interracial relationship, he was still here—not leading in front of her or trailing behind, but walking every moment right by her side. And he wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him. She’d know. She’d been inside his head and could hear his thoughts.

They stood there for a moment before he pulled away and lifted his hand.

Damn. She’d thought he’d been proposing a reprieve when really he’d only been offering a distraction. And a tiny bit of warmth.

Back to business.

“Ugh, fine. You win.” She lifted her hand, positioning it only an inch from his.

Eldon gave her a tiny smile. “Come on. You’re not a quitter. You can do this.”

Damn right she wasn’t a quitter. She’d stand out here in the freezing cold wind all night if that was what it took. Didn’t hurt to have such a motivated—and sexy—coach, either. Eldon’s rugged good looks and unrelenting support were the only things that made this process bearable.

Squinting against the gusts of winter air, she fixed her gaze on their nearly joined hands and tried to focus her thoughts.

The problem was, she wasn’t sure what she was focusing on. The night she’d called on the ley line fire, she hadn’t been in her right mind. Eldon had been struck by death magick, and she’d just…snapped. Something had happened inside of her, more of a reaction than a determined effort.

“Think about what you felt that night,” Eldon said, his voice low. “Trace the magick back to that moment.”

That moment had scared the shit out of her. She’d denied her tie to Eldon from the very beginning, chalking their telepathic connection up to nothing more than some crossed mental wires. Now she knew it to be so much more. They’d been soul struck.

It shouldn’t have been possible, really, considering only vampires could be soul struck and Eldon was far from undead. Then again, Rho shouldn’t have been able to spit green fire from her fingertips, either, so who knew what defined
normal
anymore.

Rho stifled a shudder. “I don’t want to remember.”

“You have to.”

Her brows furrowed as she tried to tap into her memories. The ball of green fire had been laced with black fog, the telltale sign of death magick. It had torn across the sky and into Eldon’s chest before she could stop it. All for some relics she and her teammates had been commissioned to locate and return to the Council.

That whole night had been her fault.

If she’d never broken Eldon’s protection circle, he wouldn’t have gotten hit with a death mark—the one she now bore on the inside of her right forearm. When he’d struggled under the weight of that poisonous spell, she’d convinced Jess, his little sister, to perform the translocation and transfer the mark to her instead. So far, the mark hadn’t hurt her.

But according to Jess, the pin in the grenade had been pulled, and it was only a matter of time before the mark would come to claim her life. Eldon and his sisters had been hunting for a way to remove it ever since she’d absorbed it a week ago, but they hadn’t found a thing.

She glared at her hand, willing the fire into her palm. Still nothing. Could the death magick interfere with her ability to call on her gift? She knew so little about her aptitude, there was no way to tell.

Minutes passed before he asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“That night.”

“Are you sure?” Eldon’s eyes narrowed as he tilted his head.

“Of course I’m sure.” Rho shot him a nasty look. “Would
you
like to relive the night
I
almost died? Because this sucks.”

When the fae had attacked the first time, Rho had taken a silver dagger to the chest. Ordinarily, her vampire healing abilities should have made recovery a snap—but the silver had nearly done her in. Boiling her blood on contact, she’d almost died in his arms. Jess had saved her.

His warm hand settled on her cheek. “I know it’s hard. I’m just trying to help.” He brushed his thumb along her bottom lip, and she stifled a shudder. Damn him, he knew how much she liked it when he did that. This was playing dirty.

“I know you are.” She heaved a sigh and lowered her hand. “Maybe I’m tired.” Her body was numb from the cold, her mind exhausted from trying to channel energy without really knowing how.

“One more try.” He smiled. “Just one more and we’ll go inside.”

Of all the things Eldon was, defeatist was not on the list. She knew he only wanted to help her harness her power, whatever that might be, and it was for her own good. He might not know about the Council’s plans for her, but they both knew her ability to control her magick could benefit the team. She would not be powerless, incapable of handling the fire, if her teammates needed her. She would not let her fate with the Council be sealed without putting up a fight.

No, giving up wasn’t an option.

Holding on to that thought, she squinted against the harsh winter wind and stared at their almost-joined hands. She allowed her fingertips to touch his but kept their palms apart. She shook her head. This was insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. What had Rhyannon done differently?

A thought struck her. This wasn’t how it had been when she’d stolen Rhyannon’s energy. She hadn’t been working with someone, waiting for the magick to happen. Rhyannon had thrown the energy, launching it like a weapon and pushing it into her opponent. Maybe that was the key.

“Again.” She glanced up at him, reminded again of his impressive height. “This time let’s try something different, though.”

“Oh?”

“Try to push the fire into me.”

He arched a dark brow then nodded, his eyes narrowing with intense focus. Rho fixated her thoughts on their hands, channeling every ounce of the passion she had for this life into finding the blue light. It was her key to survival. This was the only way out.

Moments passed.

She closed her eyes, shutting out the world. Everything fell aside but herself, Eldon, and the blue fire he held in his hands. Her mind calmed until she could sense nothing but him and the determination seizing her chest. Slowly, she opened her eyes to stare at their touching hands.

A blue spark ignited between their palms, a tiny stream of blue ley line fire traveling from his hand into hers.

“Look,” he whispered, excitement in his voice. “You’re doing it.”

She was. The magick trickled from him in a steady river of tiny blue flames toward her tingling palm. She smiled, absorbing the energy he gave her. “
We’re
doing it.”

Savoring the sensation, she took a mental snapshot of the moment. The weight of her emotions hung like a noose around her heart, the intensity of her feelings for Eldon combining with her desire to live.

“You feel how I’m pushing the energy into you?” Eldon asked. “That must be the key.”

She nodded. The energy he handed her brushed gently against her hand, a light weight against her open palm. The pressure was as steady as the glow, creating a clear imprint in her consciousness.

A blue light flashed across the night sky. Their connection faltered, flickering until nothing but darkness existed between their hands.

Rho cursed and stared at her hand.

“I think I’ve got it!” Nick shouted from across the lawn.

His familiar voice would ordinarily be welcome, but right now, Rho could strangle him. That flash of light meant he’d jumped the ley lines, using them as a lightning-fast means of transportation to the safe house.

“This had better be important,” Eldon muttered.

“Seriously, Nick?” Rho said sharply. “We were on the verge of a breakthrough.”

Rho and Eldon pivoted around to face Nick in unison. A culmination of hours of work and effort had finally achieved that connection, and now it was ruined. What if she couldn’t get it back?

Nick raised his hands and bowed his head slightly, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. His blond hair had grown too long and he needed a haircut, but somehow the easygoing style matched his personality. “I promise, I wouldn’t disturb your magick fun sessions if I didn’t have a good reason.”

Eldon arched a dark brow. “Talk.”

“I think I’ve found a way to get rid of your mark.” Nick extended a leather-bound book to Eldon. “Page two hundred seventeen.”

A way to remove the death mark? Could it even be possible? Rho suppressed her enthusiasm. The very last thing she could afford was to get her hopes up, only to have them crash to the ground again.