by K. G. Reuss
Sangrey shrugged helplessly. “It’s the only way. Bring the girl into your ranks. Take what’s yours. You’ll be a king someday. Do you really want Amara as your queen when you can have your other half, the woman you truly love, ruling at your side? If you make the vow, it’s unbreakable. Forever.”
“It’s how I could fix everything yet ruin them all at the same time.” I stared down at my hands, my guts twisting as my way out was within reach. I could save her. She’d be untouchable in Conexus. To hurt her would be declaring war against the Order, an act of treason against our world. She’d be part of the kingdom’s court. Any who harmed her would be taken out, no questions asked. I’d been trying to keep her away from that part of our world, but it would fix everything. We could be together. If I took the vow and she didn’t love me back, my heart would be bound to her forever. I’d never be able to love another again. I’d never be able to marry another. It was one hell of a commitment.
“My father will—”
“Do nothing, Raiden. He will do nothing. He cannot harm her without harming you. He needs his heir. He’s already done his worst. Once you’re bonded to her, that’s it. It cannot be broken except through death. He must accept it. If he wants a queen, we’ll give him one. One who’ll change our world.”
I nodded, pushing the tiny voice in my head which screamed this wasn’t right out of my thoughts. It didn’t feel right. Something felt off.
But I could deal with that later. I had a lot to think about.
“Thank you, Sangrey. I’ll consider your words.”
“Don’t consider them too long. From what I’ve gathered, you don’t have a lot of time left before your nuptials to Miss LaCroix. You induct before Hallow’s Eve, correct?”
I nodded tightly. “We do.”
“Have the letters gone out?”
“Not yet. I send them the day before.”
Sangrey cocked his head. “So you have some time. I heard Headmaster Brighton assigned the vampire Blackburn as her trainer the moment she woke up from her unfortunate ordeal. We cannot have that. I’ll do what I can on my end to hold your father and his ridiculous ideas off. You just do what you need to do.”
“Why does this matter to you, Uncle?” I asked softly, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I promised your mother I’d look out for you. This is me doing that.”
“Thank you.”
He gave me a small smile. “I must be off. We’re meeting today about another attack on a village in the southern reaches.”
“Was it bad?” I got out of my chair and followed him to the door.
“Twenty-five dead. More reports are rolling in. Bloodlusted vampires.”
I growled at his words.
“Indeed. See to it that you work out things on your end as quick as possible. You may be called upon to deal with this new issue since the last one went so well. It would great if we had a whisperer to commune with the dead and gain information.”
“I’ll let you know my decision.”
We bid each other farewell, and I closed my office door before sinking into my chair. I pulled the sleeve of my shirt up and stared down at the infinity sign on my wrist beneath my leather bracelet.
“I’m sorry, Everly.”
Sixty-Seven
Everly
“You seem down, love,” Nev commented as he approached me on campus. “What has that pretty face looking so sad?”
“Palmistry.”
“Liar.” He moved in front of me and walked backward. “Come on. Everyone is talking about your harrowing experience fighting off the rotwraith and living because Conexus found you.”
“Conexus didn’t find me.”
Nev stopped, holding his hand out. “You best not be keeping secrets from me, love. You know it’s not allowed in Dyre—”
“First off.” I pushed past him. He caught up to me quickly. “I’m not your love. Second, I’m not in Dyre.”
“Yet. You will be.” He smiled smugly at me, his blue eyes twinkling.
“You fed,” I muttered. I’d become so accustomed to seeing him stalking around with his eyes the color of coal that the blue was startling. He almost looked like an angel, not the sort of creature which could tear my throat out and drain my body dry.
“I did. How sweet of you to notice.”
I shook my head and kept walking.
“You need to tell me what’s going on—”
“Do I?” I asked, stopping to wheel around to stare at him. “Why, Nev? Why does it matter? How do I even know my grandmother is alive? Because I’m going to be honest with you. You and Marcus aren’t really known for being trustworthy—”
“How aren’t we?” Nev growled. He went from pleasant to downright terrifying in moments. His blue eyes darkened, and his fangs extended. “Have we not been forthcoming enough with you? Have we not gone out of our way to tell you the ugliness that is our world? What more do you require? Do you want a blood oath? I said I’d give it. Tell me what else I can do to convince you I’m not the bad guy.”
“Everyone is the bad guy,” I whispered, staring up at him. His face softened. “It’s just a matter of perspective.”
“What happened, Ever? Talk to me.”
I shook my head.
“I’m here when you’re ready.”
I nodded, my throat tight.
Nev cleared his throat. “I didn’t come find you today to hound you about Dyre or our training schedule. I’m actually here with a different message.”
We stopped walking, and I turned to him.
“My grandmother?”
He nodded, his eyes raking over my face. “She’s back. She wants to see you.”
“When?” My heart hammered unevenly in my chest.
“Midnight. Tonight. You going to come?”
This was it. It was do or die. Literally.
“Absolutely.”
I gave my arms a brisk rub as I stood with Nev and Marcus in the depths of The Place.
“What are we doing? How is she getting on campus?”
“She’s not,” Nev answered. “We’re going to her.”
“What? How? Conexus patrols—”
“Not here,” Marcus broke in, placing his hand on the wall. It shifted, revealing a set of stairs.
“What the hell?”
“Nice, huh? We use it to get in and out when we need to.” Nev nudged me forward. “Come on. She’s waiting at the end.”
I waited until he stepped around me and into the hall. Marcus was at my back. The witchlight from him shone around us in a bluish glow.
Wordlessly, I followed Nev. There was a slight niggle of the entire thing being a trap rocketing through my mind. It felt like we’d walked for miles before we sloped upward to a door. Nev pushed against it, and it opened.
I let out a gasp as I stepped out into the moonlight. The Dementon grounds were lit up far in the distance. Running seemed like a solid plan. I turned, ready to head back, afraid of what being off campus would bring.
Marcus and Nev both snatched my arms and hauled me back.
“You’re safe, Ever. I promise.” Nev loosened his grip.
“Trust me, I’m really not,” I whimpered.
“Trust me, Granddaughter, you really are.”
I turned, my mouth hanging open, as my grandmother approached through the darkness, dressed in red robes.
“Grandma?” I choked out.
“Sweetheart.” She held her arms out, and I rushed to her, throwing myself at her. Her hug was tight as she let out a contented sigh. “I’ve missed you, Ever.”
“I’ve missed you too.” I sniffled, pulling away from her. She looked exactly how I remembered her when I was growing up. Her hood had fallen off her head in our hug. Her black bob was longer than I remembered, but she still looked every bit as regal and put-together as I remembered. Except now, her power radiated from her.
She smiled at me. “Nevron tells me you might be interested in joining us.”
“He’s been begging.” I l
aughed and wiped at my eyes. She nodded, giving the guys a smile. Nev shrugged helplessly, and Marcus grinned.
“Gentlemen, would you give me and my granddaughter a few moments alone?”
They nodded, backing away from us. When they were out of earshot, my grandma finally spoke. “I’m so sorry, Everly. I don’t know where to begin, but an apology seems like the best place.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about any of this?” I gestured around.
She swallowed and shook her head. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I’d hoped to keep you safe. I’d hoped the Reever wouldn’t be born in your time. When it all started piecing together, the longer time went on, it became a no more running situation. I wish I could change everything.”
“Well, you can’t,” I sighed. “My life has been shit since all of this started.”
“I know, sweetheart.” She reached out and gave my hand a squeeze. “We really screwed this up.”
“We’re going to fix it though, right?”
“We’re going to try, but it’s not going to be easy. This is war. I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t terrified of what this could mean for you. I never wanted it for you. None of us did.”
“But it’s here for me. Now what?”
“We fight. We give our all and hope it’s enough.”
“And if it’s not?” I pressed.
“Then we died trying.”
My heart wobbled in my chest. This was a big deal. I knew that. The stress from everything was overwhelming. I drew in a deep breath, hoping to calm my nerves.
“Dyre is where you belong, Ever. You know this. I know you do.”
I nodded tightly.
“I don’t have much time here tonight. We don’t need Conexus noticing your absence. So listen closely to what I have to say.”
“OK,” I whispered.
“You’re the Mancer. We seek the ravenger. If we cannot find the Reever, we must have the ravenger. It’s to save you.”
“H-how?”
“All paths will be revealed as the time approaches.” She leveled her green-eyed gaze at me. “Trust me, my sweet granddaughter. We didn’t want this for you. We tried—” her voice cracked, and she hauled in a deep breath. “It is as it must be. Understand that.”
“I understand.”
She looked me over, sadness in her eyes.
“I wish there was another way. I only want your happiness. I hate this is your fate.”
“Maybe I can change it. I-I want to fight. I want to be free.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she nodded. “That’s my brave girl. You must be vigilant. Get any information from Conexus you can. There’s dark work within the Order. They’re going to kill us all if we aren’t careful. Please. Be our eyes and ears.”
“I’ll try.” My throat tightened.
“But this stuff isn’t all that’s concerning you. You’re hurting. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
I shook my head and scoffed. “This isn’t enough? There has to be more?”
“There doesn’t have to be, but there is. Boy troubles?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m in love with my reever, my shadow protector, but I also love another.” My voice cracked as I envisioned Raiden. “I-I feel like I’m betraying Shadow by loving someone else.”
“Who is it that you love?” She cocked her head at me.
“Raiden Hawthorne, the Conexus General,” my voice was soft and shaky as I said his name.
A sad smile spread over her lips. “Ah, I knew his mother. Helena.”
“The queen,” I added with a knowing nod.
“Yes, the queen. She was my best friend. When her marriage was arranged to Wesley, who was the prince at the time, we wept. She didn’t love him. Duty called, and Helena never backed down from her duties. Her son, I imagine, is just like her.”
“I think he is. What do I do?”
“You do nothing, Everly. As much as I loved his mother, he’s an enemy to our people. Helena’s death changed the way the Order behaved. It maddened them to the point of taking action against any who are different. The vampires responsible for Helena’s death are not the vampires within our ranks. Not all with dark hearts are the same as those with love in their hearts. Just because they come from the same place, doesn’t make them the same. General Hawthorne seeks revenge. Blood. I don’t blame him, but I cannot trust him. He’s one of them. He’s an enemy. He leads F.I.R.E. He kills when commanded only knowing a need for revenge.”
I shuddered at her words. I knew he led F.I.R.E. The thought he actually killed people sickened me. In retrospect, I probably should’ve talked to him about it when we were on speaking terms. Maybe I could’ve helped. I wasn’t sure how but remaining silent probably wasn’t the answer.
“Sometimes loving someone means letting them go. In this instance, it’s for the best. Raiden Hawthorne and you will meet on a battlefield someday. You’ve become his enemy, love or not. Let him go. Focus on your tasks.” She reached out and pulled me in for another hug.
“You’re right. It just hurts,” I sniffled.
“As does all young love. But rather your heart bleed in solace in your bedroom than on a battlefield. Trust me on that, granddaughter.”
I tightened my hold on her. She was right. I hated that, but I knew I needed to let go of him.
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Raiden Hawthorne and Conexus are enemies. Steel your heart against your foes but smile while you do it. If the time comes where you’re called to become close to Conexus, you must be able to do it with a clear mind and heart. Let that boy go for your own good.” She pulled away from me and gave me another sad smile as she wiped my tears away. “Let the pain in, but don’t let it consume you. You’re stronger than that.”
I let out a breath and nodded. “I am.”
She reached out and pulled me in for another hug.
“I must go. Fire message me if you need me. I can’t always reply, but I’ll try my best.”
“I love you,” I choked out.
“I love you too, Ever. Be brave. Our people need you now. Do not waver. Let your heart guide you.”
“I swear.” I pulled away and wiped at my eyes.
“I’ll see you soon. Much sooner than you think. Then, we’ll properly catch up.”
“OK,” I whispered as she backed away. Nev and Marcus returned to us.
“Take care of her. She’s going to save the world.”
“We will,” Nevron proclaimed, his voice steady. Marcus nodded solemnly beside him. I let out a gasp as my grandmother disappeared in a swirl of white.
We stood silently, staring at the place she’d been. Every moment in my life had brought me to this spot in a dark forest with vampire and a warlock. Every heartbreak. Every tear. Every disembodied voice. This was a war, and I had a place in it. I had to let go and focus on the things I could save.
“So.” Nev cleared his throat. “Are you in?”
I drew in a deep breath.
“I’m in. Let’s save the world.”
To Be Continued in Soul Bound
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About the Author
K.G Reuss is a USA Today bestselling author. She was born and raised in northern Michigan. She currently resides there with her husband, her children, and a few ghosts. K.G. is the author of The Everlasting Chronicles series, Emissary of the Devil series, The Chronicles of Winterset series, and Seven Minutes in Heaven.
When K.G. Reuss isn't pursuing her love for reading and writing, she is working in emergency medicine.
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Sneak Peek
Soul Bound (The Everlasting Chronicles, Book 4)
Raiden
Blood splattered on my face in hot dots of red as I pushed my blade through the chest of a carrion.
Its wheezing cackle echoed around us. I hauled the blade from its chest before rearing back and lopping its head clear off its body. It hit the ground with a sickening splat, dead at my feet. I didn’t waste another moment. I turned, looking for my next target.
Within moments, my blade found its mark, disposing of the unsightly creature with a well-placed aim at its heart.
“On your left!” Damien hollered, slicing through another carrion as I kicked my latest kill away from me. I whipped out a throwing knife and pegged the rotwraith between the eyes before it could reach me.
“There are too many!” Eric landed a kick in the center of a carrion’s chest, sending it flailing back before he was hacking his way through another one. I ground my teeth together, managing to take out three more, before I reached Eric and Damien.
Eric was right. We were being overrun. Chloe, Sloane, and Adam were taking out as many as they could. Sloane and Adam’s magic was thick in the air, making the carrion hungrier., more frenzied. If I had to guess, it was probably luring more in.
“Use your weapons!” I shouted, punching a carrion in the face before gutting it. “Your magic is luring them in!”
“Damnit,” Adam growled, pulling his sword out, a sheen of sweat on his dirty face. He let out a roar as he took down two carrion and a rotwraith.
