Woven Fates

by Brandy L Rivers

  Someone squeezed on her head, her entire body. Pain throbbed through Kindra. Gerard’s voice pulled at her. Let me in, my love.

  “Don’t let him,” a woman insisted. “Fight the bastard with everything you have. You can’t let him win if you want to keep your son.”

  Kindra’s eyes flew open. The only one in the room with her was Morrigan, the Fae who ripped her soul apart to get rid of Gerard, and there he was trying to get in again.

  “Damn it, Kindra. I can’t do all the work for you. You need to step in and fight for yourself,” she growled, moving her hands over her.

  Magic flowed around her, blocking Gerard from doing more than send her thoughts.

  Panic flooded her system. “What if I can’t keep him out of my head?”

  “You can, and I’ll show you how. First, we need to show him you don’t want him there. And that means you need to repeat the words I’m about to say.”

  She nodded as her back bowed in pain. And still, she found the strength to repeat the words, as she thought about Valen, and what she needed to do to prove she was on his side, and if that was Anders’, or rather Mark’s, then so be it.

  A glow emanated from within, then filled the entire room.

  Gerard cursed before retreating.

  She smiled, victory washing in. He had no hold on her.

  “Wait, we aren’t out of the woods. Quickly, follow this spell, and it will erect a shield around you that will keep him out for the time being. And later, after we’re through the worst of all of this, maybe even sooner, I’ll teach you how to become immune to all mind control.”

  “You will?” she asked.

  Nodding, Morrigan helped her sit up. “On one condition. You don’t pull anything stupid and try to win Mark back. It won’t happen. And you trying means you aren’t taking all of this nearly as seriously as you should.”

  “I am taking this seriously, and I saw the look on his face when I first saw him and forgot all the hell I put him through. I knew before I ever saw him again that it was too late to fix anything with him.”

  “Good, because he may be the only one who can stop these things from moving on to the next town and tearing apart a community.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “No, I don’t imagine you did. What’s important is that you take a little time to learn from me how to block people from your head. Some people mean well, but memories, even those you don’t actively remember, can put you in danger. So I’m going to show you how to block even Robert, but not until we’re done learning what we can about where these beings are. I imagine we’ll be ready to confront them by tomorrow.”

  “Why do you say that?” Kindra asked, wondering if she could stay on the opposite side of Gerard after all these years.

  “Yes, you can, and you will, or you will die. It’s that simple. I’ve cleaned him from your system. Now you have to prove it was worth the pain. And if you love your son, that should be a yes.”

  “It is.” She meant it.

  Chapter 27

  Rage flowed through Gerard. Kindra was gone to him. He risked much to tell her the truth, and now she was fighting against his hold.

  “What is it?” Gallus asked on Gerard’s hundredth pace through the room.

  “She’s broken all contact to me. I cannot reach Kindra. Something pushed my influence completely out of her. I wasn’t surprised when my influence over Valen evaporated, but I never imagined someone so far gone as Kindra would have the strength to resist.”

  Gallus moved in front of Gerard. “You are a fool. I told you not to trust her.”

  “It’s her son. And I know we haven’t had our own children in thousands of years, but he was to be one of us.”

  “Ah, but if your goal was for him to be one of us, you would not have treated him so poorly over the years. You pushed him away, made him feel weak, insignificant. That was not the way to form a bond. But you’ve never kept a woman long enough to know how to nourish a child, have you?”

  The bastard was right, of course. He always was. However, Gerard wouldn’t admit it. That would only mean defeat. No, there had to be a way to win her back. Even if he couldn’t take Valen with them.

  And that was the problem. But with the young man dead, she would have nothing left but Gerard, who had taken care of her over the years.

  “It’s fine. I simply need to find Valen and kill him. Since we no longer can reach his wife, who happens to be behind wards in another coven, I’ll have to resort to killing him.”

  “That won’t win her over,” Genova spat. “You have never understood women.”

  “She is a creature of desperation. She will cling to me desperately, as she did when she helped me kill Anders.”

  “Which failed, and she’s likely been in his presence. Which means, she’s choosing the husband she lost,” she snapped.

  “Not true. He won’t take her back. Why choose what she can’t have? I made sure he would never forgive her.”

  “Then why isn’t she dead? He is a werewolf, correct?” Gallus countered.

  He growled and stormed away. If Anders had killed her, it would have made things easier. And yet, he wanted Kindra by his side. She was hardening, becoming stronger. And somehow, she tore him out of herself. She wasn’t dead. He could sense her, but he couldn’t find her.

  Gallus stepped in front of Gerard. “We can’t wait forever to go to Edenton.”

  “I know.” Gerard threw his hands up. “Damn it, I know that better than the rest of you. It’s my life at stake.”

  “You should have made sure he was dead,” Gallus growled.

  Genova laughed. “You shouldn’t have picked him. I told you to go for the high priest. You were never going to manage to break that boy.”

  Gerard glared at her. “I should have killed him like the rest. In all the years I’ve brought us to new cities, I’ve always managed to come out on top.”

  “Not this time,” snapped Gallus. “You’re failing, you’re fading faster. All because he’s alive. And that’s why you haven’t put as much care or thought into keeping up the façade. That’s why the coven rejected their beloved Anders Woeller.”

  “Perhaps he is the one the prophecy mentioned,” Lester added.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” snapped Gerard. Only, that thought had plagued him since he learned that Anders had lived. However, it didn’t make sense. How was he still alive? Why hadn’t he faded sooner? Becoming a werewolf didn’t kill Anders, it simply made him more. There was something strange about Anders from the very beginning.

  Anders was harder to pull energy from than anyone else. He’d run into those individuals who were harder to become, but they always gave the most power when he completed the transfer. And yet, he never got that chance with Anders. No one had managed to survive being drained by him until Anders. And still, he knew it deep down, that he could complete the transfer and the payoff would be bigger than anything that had come before.

  “Besides, we don’t have a choice, unless you plan to leave me behind.”

  Gallus held up his hands, shaking his head. They had always leaned on him for guidance, and granted, this incarnation of their people had not gone as planned, but that didn’t change the fact he was still their leader, and the one who could help them grow in power.

  “I’m sorry, Gerard. I’m simply stressed. We can’t wait much longer to make a move, but Edenton is unlike any town we’ve attempted to take since Badb. She nearly ruined us. Most of them passed away before you finally killed her after she took Minosa away from you.”

  “Kindra will replace Minosa. She already has. Don’t you see?”

  “No, I think you’re wrong. I don’t argue often but think about the fact she’s finally broken your hold.” Genova shook her head. “Kindra broke your hold because you made her believe she loved you. She doesn’t truly, she loved Anders, and probably still does. I’m surprised you didn’t break the poor girl’s mind when you for
ced yourself into her life.”

  Gerard growled. “Her mind is not broken. She’s stronger for what I’ve done.”

  “For what she survived, more like,” Genova hissed.

  “You haven’t seen her when it’s just the two of us.” Of course, when it was the two of them, she still called him Anders as if she wanted to believe he was the original version. “And even still, if she has to die, she will, just like his current mate. I will take Anders’ place, or kill him and find another.”

  “Perhaps killing him would be wisest,” Gallus answered. “Start over fresh, somewhere else. Take a generation or so to recover from everything we’ve been through this time around.”

  “We’ll see how it goes when we get there. Because right now, until we take care of him, I cannot do a damned thing different, and you know that.”

  “Maybe I could scout. I still have the ability to glamour. I could sneak in and find out what we can, without being caught,” Lester offered.

  “Even by Cora?” Gerard demanded.

  “Of course. She never liked me much, avoided me whenever possible. Even before I took this persona, she didn’t like who I was.”

  “Very well, go,” Gerard answered.

  Chapter 28

  Gina woke and reached for her swollen belly as everything tightened to the point she could hardly see.

  “Breathe, Gina,” Emily murmured, brushing a cool cloth across her head. “Relax. It’s all right.”

  “No, Badb is coming now. It’s too fast.”

  “It’s fine. You’ll be fine, I promise.” Emily took her hand and captured her gaze. “Look at me, Gina.”

  She managed to open her eyes and stare back. “Too much pressure.”

  Emily nodded. “But you got this. You’re still werewolf, but you’re more now. You are just as much Fae as werewolf, which makes no sense, but everything is working as it should.” Her smile brightened. “I promise you, everything will be okay.”

  “Hope you’re right.”

  She is, Badb answered in her head, but even she seemed distressed. She laughed, but it was tight. Of course, I’m about to be born. It’s not a pleasant experience for any of us.

  Gina let out a laugh and thought about calling Mark. Only, she didn’t want to interrupt whatever they were doing. It was important, and this wasn’t going to end with snuggling a baby.

  Her eyes closed.

  Not yet, but soon for you. You will have that, Gina.

  Her body seemed to knot up even tighter.

  “You can do this,” Emily murmured.

  Gina managed to nod. “She’s coming. Is it supposed to be this fast?”

  Emily frowned. “What? Uh…in this case maybe you need to take the sweats off so I can check you.”

  “Right.” She managed to rise up and slip them down her thighs. Then she fell back as the tension broke, though she felt so full it was ridiculous. Then wetness gushed.

  “Your water broke, and you’re crowning. Ready or not, here she comes,” Emily said.

  * * * *

  Mark was on his feet and grabbed Robert’s arm. “You need to get me home now.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s happening. Shit, it really is happening already. I need to be there. With Gina.”

  “Go, it’s fine. I’ll stay here and maybe I can find out what Mom is really doing,” Valen said.

  Mark nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be back, but I need to be there for her now.”

  “Yeah, I got it. I wonder why they didn’t call.”

  “It’s happening fast. Just please, take me now.”

  Robert’s answer was to translocate them into the bedroom. “Oh my.” Robert quickly zapped away, leaving Mark there.

  Emily held a fully formed person in her hands. There was a blanket draped over Gina’s lap. And all he smelled was blood and something sweet.

  “Gina, are you okay?”

  “Perfect, but tired. You didn’t need to come.”

  “I’ll always come for you.” He took her hand and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. Then glanced back at the small person in Emily’s hands. Not a baby, not a child, but a small adult.

  “What the…” He let the words trail off as he stared.

  “Badb.”

  “I’m whole, and soon I will grow to full size,” Badb answered.

  Gina giggled. “That was not what I expected.”

  Emily shook her head. “Uh…are you…can you bathe yourself?”

  “I can. Or rather a shower. Simply start it for me,” Badb answered.

  “Right.” Emily took the small woman to the bathroom.

  Mark focused on Gina. “You should have called.”

  “It happened so fast. I was asleep, then woke and it was time. I couldn’t have called if I had wanted to, but even then, she isn’t ours. I was okay.”

  “But you were distressed. I would have come just to hold your hand.”

  She smiled up at him. “You did. And seriously, I woke up and it was time.”

  Emily came back into the room nodding. “She’s right. It happened that fast. In fact, at the rate she’s growing, she must need food. I’m going to send Clint to the store, but I think I should call Morrigan. She should know better what her sister will need.”

  “Good plan.” Mark ran his finger across Gina’s cheek. “After she’s done in there, I’m going to take you into the shower and take care of you.”

  “Don’t they need you?” she asked.

  Mark shook his head. “You need me more. And they are working out how to find them. Besides, Kindra’s there, and the last person I want to deal with is her.”

  “But your son is there too.”

  “And he knows you need me and that I needed to be here. He’s having his own child. I think he understands. Either way, I told you before, you come first, and you still do. Valen is a grown man, one I hardly know, and he loves his mother, as he should. He can do more good there, with her, than I can.”

  “Hate her that much?”

  Mark sighed. “I didn’t say that. But whatever I once felt for her is long since over. I have no desire to work things out or mend our relationship. I doubt I could trust her enough to become her friend now. And really, why should I?”

  “For Valen.”

  He shrugged. “We can worry about that after we deal with the doppelgangers for good. That is our primary concern right now. Later, after I see if we can even trust her with this, I can decide.”

  “You will do the right thing. You always do.”

  He shook his head. “I wanted to strangle her when I first saw her.”

  She lifted a shoulder and smiled. “But you didn’t.” Gina sat up and pulled him down beside her. “By the way, I’m a mess. You sure you want to deal with all of this?”

  “Of course. It’s going to be no different when you have our baby. All that mess is part of the process. And I’m in this for every part of it. You have to do all the hard work, let me help.”

  “You’re sweet, you know that? And very good to me. I love you.”

  * * * *

  Badb stood under the shower and looked at the products beside her. She’d watched over Gina’s bloodline for long enough that she knew enough about what everything was and even how to read the language. So she managed to clean herself up and then sit down.

  Her body ached, but there would be no relief as she grew for the next six or so hours.

  A portal opened into the bathroom, and in stepped Morrigan. She knelt at the side of the tub. “It’s good to see you again, though you are so very small,” she teased.

  Badb rinsed out the conditioner and nodded to the knobs. “Won’t be for long. Can you take care of the water?”

  “Sure. I’ll help you with the towel.”

  At a little over two feet, Badb needed all the help she could get. As much as she wanted to be self-reliant, she just wasn’t big or strong enough yet, and if she was goi
ng to be, she needed to conserve what she could while growing.

  “Thank you. I’m sorry you have to do this.”

  “I’m not. I’m glad I have you back finally. Quite honestly, I never really believed the opportunity would present itself.”

  “I told you it would. I didn’t realize it would take so long.”

  Laughing, Morrigan shook her head. “I shouldn’t have given up hope.”

  “I don’t blame you. The only way I was coming back was if I found the right situation with a blood relative. That’s why I watched my bloodline for so long. If Gina’s father hadn’t angered Henroyld, I wouldn’t have found my way in. And it just happened that she had enough feral blood left over to alter what she already is without completely changing everything. Her shifts will be magic from now on. The moon will not control her shifts, but I’m sure she’ll want to shift with Mark. He truly cares for her. I miss that. Emrette was so good to me. And Gerard ripped him from me. He will pay.”

  “They all will,” assured Morrigan. “They took from me too, the day they killed you and those I considered family. Every last one of them will die.”

  “I’d say by my hand, but I believe Mark and Gina truly want them dead.”

  “I do not envy Mark. His wife never stopped loving him, though he very nearly died,” Morrigan answered. She picked Badb up and set her on the rug.

  “Hmm, what should we do about clothing?” Morrigan asked as she plucked a towel off the rack. “I could create one of my enchanted dresses for you. It will grow with you.”

  “That will work for now. I’m sure that once I’ve eaten, I’ll be able to summon my armor, or transmute something that will be comfortable enough to battle in.”

  Morrigan rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe they are foolish enough to come so soon. Besides, none of them know you’re back. And if they did, they might just leave Gerard behind to face his own battle.”

  “I’m glad he didn’t kill Mark. He seems perfect for Gina.”

  “Perhaps too cautious,” Morrigan answered.

  “He’s in love and wants to protect what’s his. She pushes back and he relents. Now, if he only demanded his way and wouldn’t listen to her, there would be cause for concern. He’s willing to admit he’s wrong. And she keeps thinking he shouldn’t worry so much about her, but considering the life she’s had, he has every right to.”