Fate Forged

by B. P. Donigan

  “Stop!” I yanked against my restraints. The sharp plastic dug into my skin, strong and unyielding. The chair jumped and clattered on the floor with my frantic movements as I tried to free myself.

  Aria jerked in the chair, spasming and screaming as he dragged life from her.

  Remus’s magic burned darker.

  “Stop! She’s rich—her family can pay you! Remus!” My screams turned into sobs. “You’re killing her!”

  Aria’s screaming stopped, and she slumped forward, her head dropping to her chest.

  Remus stepped back, and the threads of the conjuring disappeared. “You’re right,” he panted. “I want her alive. I’m not done with her yet.” He used Ripper to slice through the zip ties binding her wrists and ankles before pushing her unconscious body to the floor. Her head banged against the hard tile with a sickening thud.

  “Aria!”

  Blood was smeared along one side of her face and neck, and her skin was pale. She was so still, I couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Remus knelt over Aria and pushed her skirt up to her waist.

  “Get away from her!” I jerked in my chair, straining against the zip ties. I couldn’t let this happen. “You’re not even man enough for a conscious woman? You psychotic, ugly troll!” I screamed words at him, anything to make him stop. “You’re weak! Pathetic! A tiny worm with a tiny dick!”

  He twisted and flicked the knife in front of my face. “When they’re done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you.”

  Relieved and equally terrified, I spat blood in his face. Turning his anger onto me was my only weapon.

  He lunged at me and grabbed me by the throat, choking me. I gagged against his grip.

  “Teeny... weeny... cock,” I choked out.

  He released me just as suddenly as he had attacked. I heaved in air, gasping around the pain in my throat.

  “You want a ride first, bitch?” He slid the knife under the neck of my tunic and ripped it open in a single violent jerk. With another flick of the knife, the fabric of my bra was severed.

  His lips curled into a leer as he stared at my bare flesh.

  I channeled my inner Silas and glared at him with complete disdain. “Is that it? You’re going to strip me into submission?”

  He backhanded me again.

  My broken cheekbone crunched. Fire seared my brain, and my vision flickered black. Gasping, I focused on getting air into my lungs for several breaths.

  Remus moved behind me and cut the ties at my ankles. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head backward until I stared up at him. “I’m going to cut out your nasty tongue, but first I want to hear you scream.”

  Nausea and pain threatened to pull me under. I couldn’t pass out.

  He sliced through the ties around my wrists and yanked me to the ground by my hair. Before I could do more than flail, he kicked me in the side.

  I screamed and crumpled. Broken rib. Tears flooded my eyes as I gasped for air. Pain radiated through my chest with every movement.

  Remus crawled on top of me, pinning me on my back. Panic clawed at my chest when he pinned my arms at my sides and tore away the ripped pieces of my tunic. His hands were all over my body. He clawed and groped my exposed skin. He ripped my pants off and started on my underwear. When he reached for his zipper, I jerked one arm free, sending a searing jolt down my entire left side. Fighting through the pain, I tore the magic-blocking pendant off my neck. It clinked on the ground next to me.

  He stared at it.

  Magic surged through me.

  Understanding lit Remus’s face a second before his skin lit up from the inside. Thousands of pinpricks of energy flew from every pore of his body, obeying my call. He jerked in surprise, and a high-pitched, frantic scream tore from his lips. Writhing in pain, his body convulsed over me. His eyes bulged until I could see only the whites, before he fell to the ground. Dead.

  The energy felt like a jolt of electricity straight into my blood. The power of an entire life’s worth of magic flooded me with tainted energy. I rocked on the ground, frozen under the terrible weight of it.

  For several minutes, every nerve ending in my body throbbed with pain. I lay there, unable to move. My stomach twisted, and all I could do was draw ragged breaths. Finally, when the wave of nausea lessened, I blinked and looked around. Aria lay ten feet away, her eyes locked on me in terror.

  Careful of my bruised and broken body, I scooted slowly along the floor. I collected Marcel’s charm and Ripper, both of which were lying on the ground near my tattered clothing. Flames ripped down my side as I cut away Aria’s restraints, gasping for breath with each movement.

  Her breathing was fast and shallow as she pulled the pendant from her neck and threw it against the wall. The gag followed. “Thank the gods,” she sobbed. Her magic flared, and I was horrified to see it had gone from a strong blue to a pale, almost colorless gray.

  I gasped. “Your flare.”

  Her eyes locked on my face and went wide. “Gods bless us! He was trying to kill us!”

  “We need t’get outta here.” My words slurred with agony. My jaw must’ve been broken. I glanced at the locked door. We could try to fight our way out and make a run for it, but I was not in any shape for that. I was still recovering from the side effects of absorbing Remus’s energy, and it still burned. I could feel the power of it tainting me. Aria would’ve been useless in a fight, and on top of that, I didn’t know where we were.

  The doorknob jiggled. “Remus, playtime’s over,” Titus’s amused voice called from the other side.

  Aria's already pale face went white, completely drained of any color.

  “You have to skim us,” I whispered.

  When Aria’s fear transformed immediately into determination, I could have kissed her. She grabbed my wrist and closed her eyes. The energy bent around us like a dome, creating the shimmering outline of a skimming spell. I could see the pattern as the familiar conjuring built, but we didn’t budge.

  “Remus!” Titus called.

  “I can’t skim us both,” she whispered. “I don’t have enough power.”

  I released her hand. “Go.”

  “I’m not leaving you here!”

  Banging sounded from the other side of the door. “Remus! Unlock the gods-damned door,” Titus demanded.

  “I’m right behind you,” I lied. I gripped Marcel’s pendant for comfort. If only I’d learned something useful with my magic. I couldn’t control it for shit.

  Aria shook her head frantically.

  The door crashed open. Titus pushed into the room with four men flanking him. They froze in the entryway, surprised to find Aria and me huddled on the ground.

  Titus lunged.

  I had no idea what I did when I reached for Aria’s conjuring and forced my magic into it. Connected to the magic in my moment of panic, I sensed Silas. Like a beacon in a storm, his presence radiated through me and lit the way to safety. Unbelievable pressure squeezed my brain as I shoved all the power I had taken from Remus into the layers of Aria’s spell. It solidified and glowed white.

  The air shifted around us, and the room disappeared.

  We landed on the cold stone floor of the Council’s Centre.

  I gripped my head before it imploded. Too late, I remembered that no one should’ve been able to skim into the Council Centre. I had just used Aria’s spell to force my way through some serious magic with the weight of two people. My vision swam as six shocked Council members stared down at us, plus Silas, who had risen to his feet.

  Aria cried out, and everything went black.

  THE FLOOR UNDER MY back was cold and hard. I stared up at an ornate ceiling of soaring arches and fancy architecture that I might have appreciated in a different life. Complex magic danced in the air. It made me dizzy. I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and inhaled the clean, crisp smell of Silas.

  A white cloak was wrapped around my body, holding back the
full chill of the stone beneath me. I no longer felt the burning pain of my broken rib, or my jaw, or anything else that Remus had broken. I was already healed. Simple joys.

  “Your powers may not ever be as they were before, but you are not barren,” a voice to my left said. “And the fetus is not in distress.”

  I turned my head toward the sound. Aria sat cross-legged on the ground five feet away from me, surrounded by a knot of people. A green-robed Healer knelt in front of her with the pleased expression of someone delivering good news.

  Alaric knelt in front of her, holding her hand. “You’re with child?” His eyes were wide in surprise.

  Aria looked at Silas in alarm. He stood between us in the middle of the chamber floor, his arms folded across his chest.

  Alaric turned to Silas. “Do you claim the child?”

  “I do,” Silas said levelly. His face gave nothing away.

  Alaric pulled his daughter into a hug. Over his shoulder, Aria’s eyes landed on me.

  “Maeve!” Aria gasped. She disentangled herself and came toward me. “You’re awake!”

  I was relieved to see that she seemed fine. Even the blood on her neck had been cleaned.

  I tried to push off the floor and landed back on my elbows with my head spinning. A Healer I hadn’t noticed hovering over me took the opportunity to list the many injuries I’d just had healed. Her clinical tone still managed to drip with disapproval. I was right about the broken rib, jaw, and cheekbone. But I’d missed the orbital socket, silly me. Aria held my hand while the Healer methodically sprayed a cool mist over my skin, wiped me clean, and left. Once again, I owed my life to magic.

  “Titus did this?” Silas asked me, his jaw clenched in anger.

  “And a man named Remus,” I said. “They tried to take back the stolen magic.”

  Aria’s brows furrowed at my slightly altered version of events, but I shook my head at her. I needed time to figure out all the things Titus had said, and I didn’t want the entire Council—possible traitor included—to know everything.

  “It was Remus of House Trivalent, Father,” Aria said.

  The name seemed familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it.

  Alaric’s head snapped up.

  “He recognized me,” Aria continued. “He drained my power and tried to rape me. I’d be dead if Lady Maeve had not risked her life to stop him. She drew his attention away...”

  The familiar name finally clicked. Titus was a Trivalent. Atticus had said the whole family was bad news; they must have been related. My stomach twisted.

  I pulled Silas’s cloak tighter around me. “They couldn’t have taken us out of this realm without a dedicated portal, right?” I asked the room in general.

  “That’s correct,” Alaric confirmed. “A talisman would not be capable of skimming you from this realm.”

  “Then they’re here in Aeterna. At least five of them. Well, four now. Remus is dead.” May he rest in hell. Silas raised his eyebrows but didn’t press me. My rage was still fresh, and I had no guilt about killing the sicko before he murdered Aria and me.

  “Lord Magister,” Elias said, his voice loud and accusatory as he addressed Alaric. “How did Magister Remus get his magic back?”

  “It’s not possible,” Alaric replied, his face flushed.

  Elias’s eyes narrowed. “After his conviction, you advocated for Remus’s sentence to be commuted to exile. You were responsible for stripping his powers. Now your former Acting Magister has joined the Brotherhood, and his magic is intact. Given the history of your family’s treachery—”

  “That is wildly out of line!” Alaric practically shouted. “I was proven innocent of anything to do with their rebellion. And my own daughter was in danger today!”

  “And yet Lady Aria is unharmed,” Elias said, sweeping his hand toward Aria. “Why is that, do you suppose?”

  Everyone in the room went deathly quiet as they absorbed Elias’s accusations.

  Aria took a half step forward as though she might contest the accusations against her father. Silas grabbed her hand, holding her in place as Alaric sputtered his own protests. The ties to Remus were the hard evidence we’d been searching for. Alaric had lied about carrying out Remus’s sentencing and set him loose in Earth with the Brotherhood. He was the traitor on the Council, helping them fuel their rebellion.

  Alaric’s protests of innocence were drowned out by the other Councilors’ angry murmurs as they came to the same conclusion I had.

  Elias motioned for the Guardians stationed around the room. “Lord Alaric will be detained until a trial can be held.”

  Three Guardians formed another net-like spell that settled over Alaric, blocking his magic. They grabbed him by his forearms and dragged him out of the room as he yelled excuses the whole way. Riotous arguments broke out as the Councilors discussed Alaric and his treachery. No doubt everything he’d ever done or said would be analyzed in the light of his betrayal.

  Aria opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Silas laid a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. She delicately wiped tears away with her sleeve.

  “You scared the ever-living shite out of me,” Silas said quietly, kneeling next to me. I tried to get a read on his expression, but as usual, it was impossible.

  Elias talked with Nuada and Lady Nero, but he kept looking in my direction. He ran his fingers over his lips as he watched Silas and me. Embarrassed, I pushed to my feet on unsteady legs. Silas steadied me with a hand on my waist. I still couldn’t read his strange expression. He was upset—angry at me, no doubt. A potent combination of relief and anger seared across my awareness, and for a moment, I thought I’d sensed it from Silas. I really needed to get some sleep.

  “I’m fine.” I said, pulling away from him. Too many eyes were on us, and I didn’t want him to feel responsible for me. He needed to take care of Aria. I adjusted Silas’s giant cloak and tried to untangle it from my legs. In my own realm, I hadn’t needed recovery time after being healed, but I would kill for a nap right now. I was so tempted to find the nearest soft surface and crash. The room started spinning, and I swayed on my feet.

  Silas swept me up in his arms like a child.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You need to rest,” Aria said beside him.

  “I’m taking you somewhere you can sleep,” Silas said.

  “I can walk.”

  He ignored me and announced he was leaving. No one objected, but Elias stared after us as we left the Council Centre with Silas carrying me in his arms.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I squirmed in Silas’s arms as we traveled through the hallways of the Council Centre. “Put me down. This is ridiculous.”

  His grip tightened. “You were just beaten almost to death, fought off a rapist, and then broke through a level-five conjuring. Can you not accept help just once?”

  “I’m fine.” I cast a sideways glance at Aria, but she seemed fine on her own two feet. I folded my arms across my chest, refusing to loop my arm over Silas’s neck.

  “You’re disoriented, nearly naked, and one of your feet is unshod.”

  I glanced down at my feet. He was right; I had lost one of my soft-soled shoes. Huh.

  He carried me all the way to the port at the base of the mountain. I could feel people staring. I should have insisted I was fine, but the still-dizzy part of me was a tiny bit relieved. And he smelled amazing, like soap and lemongrass. I recognized the post-healing side effect of amorous feelings flaring inside me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Forgetting my pride, I let my head rest against Silas’s solid chest and inhaled his delicious scent.

  We traveled through the port and emerged into a grand foyer. The pressure sent my head spinning again. A large golden shield with two crossed swords hung on one wall of the spacious room. Two large beasts with horns and claws holding a circle of ivy between them were etched into the crest. Inside the ivy was the sigil of his House. An inscription in a curling script ran un
der the crest.

  “House of Valeron, the Eternal Might,” Silas translated for me. “Be welcome in my familial home, Lady Maeve.”

  He set me gently on my feet, and Aria immediately wrapped her arm around my waist. It was ridiculous to lean on a pregnant woman for support, but she wouldn’t let go. Silas placed one palm against a wall, and it melted into a doorway. We walked into the most opulent hall I had ever seen. I stared at the vaulted ceilings of a room the length of three basketball courts.

  Dappled sunlight filtered through an entire ceiling of colored glass soaring stories above us, creating a domed courtyard. In the center of the hall, the Valeron sigil was set into the floor in what appeared to be sparkling gems. Archways lined the walls with a half dozen hallways connecting to other parts of the building. The house must be enormous.

  “It’s ostentatious,” Silas said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We use it for receptions and official functions.”

  I had no words. The room was beautiful and ornate, and holy hell—Silas’s family was loaded.

  Stephan exploded out of one of the doorways, and Aria released me to rush to him. I caught my breath as his empathic side projected an overwhelming mix of emotions. His worry and relief mixed together into a potent ball in my stomach. Silas’s arm replaced Aria’s around my waist as the two lovers touched foreheads tenderly. Stephan placed his hands gently over her stomach, and love flared between them, his and hers.

  Silas’s grip tightened around my waist.

  The sudden burst of emotions I felt cut off abruptly when Stephan gained control again. “Thank you for bringing her home,” he said to me. “I am in your debt.”

  I gave him a watery smile, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. The two returned back up the hall, wrapped around each other.

  “Can you walk?” Silas asked me.

  I nodded, and Silas released his hold on me. My legs were shaky, but I was determined to make it under my own power. I was so tired. The emotional and physical trauma was too much. I wouldn’t admit it, but I was grateful Silas stayed close as he led the way through a long, richly decorated hallway, past half a dozen doors until we reached a bedroom.