Unity

by Jessica Wayne

  Unity

  Prophecy Series Book 5

  Jessica Wayne

  Unity

  by Jessica Wayne

  Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Jessa Russo of Russo’s Editing Services

  Proofread by Dominique Laura

  Cover Design by Covers By Combs

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  From The Author

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also By Jessica Wayne

  1

  Luxe

  Dakota

  Dakota watched Ana chasing a young girl around a tree. Their daughter. He still couldn’t believe it! Dark hair just like her mother’s fell down her back in a single braid, her bright blue eyes full of joy as she dodged Ana’s grasp once again.

  “I’m going to get you!” Ana called after her.

  “Daddy, save me!” Annabelle ran giggling back to him, falling into his arms in a fit of laughter.

  “I’m sorry, my little love, I’m helpless against your mother.” He eyed Ana with all the love he felt in his heart, and she returned it with an unguarded smile.

  “He always has been,” she confirmed.

  “So true. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Ana sat beside him on the grass, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Life was so perfect in this moment, as he held his wife and daughter.

  “Any plans for tonight?” Ana asked.

  “You mean after we get this one to sleep?” Dakota tickled Annabelle, pulling more laughter from her.

  “Daddy! Stop! I’m on your team, remember?”

  “Oh, that’s right!” He tickled her one last time before sitting her back up and pressing a loud kiss to her head. “I love you both,” Dakota told them, looking from his wife to young daughter.

  “We love you, too,” Ana replied, her smile bright.

  “You know none of this is real,” a deep voice boomed, spoiling the moment.

  Ana and Annabelle didn’t look up.

  Dakota shut his eyes and tried to ignore the voice, tried to hold on to this illusion a while longer.

  “Did you really think this would fool me for long?”

  Opening his eyes, Dakota got to his feet. “A guy can hope.”

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Ana turned her worried eyes up to him.

  He smiled. “Nothing, my love, just going to go for a quick walk. See you in a few?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Love you, Daddy!” Annabelle jumped up and wrapped her arms around his leg. Kneeling, Dakota pulled her in for an embrace.

  “I love you, too, Annabelle.”

  When he was far enough away from them that he could speak easily, he turned to Thames, who’d taken form inside the stasis.

  Wearing black pants, a belted white tunic, and large black boots, he looked every inch the intimidating monster Dakota knew him as.

  “I’m trapped here,” Dakota said smugly. “No one but a Brute can pull me out.”

  “I suppose it’s a good thing I have a Brute then, isn’t it?”

  Dakota’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  Thames shrugged. “I have my ways.”

  “You still won’t make it past Ana’s barrier.”

  “I won’t?”

  The sky darkened, and Dakota looked up. Gray—nearly black—clouds began rolling in.

  “Will only be a moment now,” Thames said with a smug smile.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Just a moment.”

  “What is happening?” Dakota roared over a crash of thunder.

  Thames grinned. “Wake up, Dakota.”

  Dakota’s eyes opened, as he stood and stretched, but he wasn’t in control of his body.

  “Thank you, Rayden,” he said, greeting the Brute healer who stood before him.

  “You promised you wouldn’t harm my people.”

  “And I will hold true to my word.”

  The voice was Dakota’s, but the words were not. “Damn you, Rayden!” he screamed in his head. “Traitor!”

  “Don’t blame the Brute, Dakota,” Thames said. “He had no choice.”

  At his words, Rayden’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “I am sorry, Fighter. I had to protect my people.” Rayden lowered his head, then turned and left the room, Thames following in Dakota’s body.

  “Where are you going?” Dakota asked worriedly as Thames made his way into town.

  “I have someone to visit.”

  “You better leave Ana alone!”

  Thames laughed. “Oh, brother mine. How are you so dense? You have no power here.”

  “I swear I’ll find a way to kill you.”

  “I would love to see you try,” Thames responded with a growl.

  “Dakota?” Shane asked from behind them.

  Thames turned Dakota’s body.

  “Run!” Dakota screamed inside his head. “Please run, Shane! It’s not me!”

  Thames waved and headed toward Shane.

  “Leave him alone!”

  “Not a chance,” Thames answered with nothing more than a thought. “Can’t have him running off and warning your Anastasia, can we?” Turning his attention back to Shane, Thames said, “Hey, man, what are you doing out?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Shane answered cautiously, his eyes narrowed.

  “Please see it isn’t me and run,” Dakota pleaded even though he knew his friend couldn’t hear him.

  “I woke up.” Thames shrugged. “Seemed strange to me, but I figured I would go surprise Anastasia.”

  “You mean Ana. And how would it be a surprise? She would have let you out… didn’t she?”

  Thames laughed. “I’m so out of touch, aren’t I? Yes, of course I mean Ana. She let me out after I woke up. I’ve been out to get some fresh air.”

  Shane reached behind his back, and Dakota hoped like hell he had a weapon on him. “Kill me,” he pleaded. “Just do it!”

  Thames reached back and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m guessing you aren’t buying this?”

  “Let’s go see Anastasia,” Shane said, taking a step forward.

  “Nah, I don’t think so.” Thames moved toward him, and Shane backed up.

&nbs
p; “Run!”

  “And why’s that?” Shane asked, narrowing his gaze.

  “Because I have other plans.”

  In the blink of an eye, Thames was inches from Shane, his hand gripping the back of the Fighter’s neck.

  “Let him go!” Dakota yelled, fighting to gain control of his own body.

  Shane twisted, escaping the grip and slamming his fist into Thames’ cheek. Even though Thames was at the wheel, Dakota felt the pain from the hit, and the sting as his lip split open.

  “You know, being inside his head”—Thames tapped his fingertips to Dakota’s temple—“I am privy to all of his thoughts and memories. Seems you always had a hard on for the Sorceress, didn’t you? Even after you two became buddies, you still hoped she’d end up with you.”

  “No! Leave him alone! You can keep me, just leave Shane alone!”

  Shane’s eyes widened. “Not true. I moved on. Dakota knew that.”

  “Did he? Because from where I’m standing, he never trusted you.”

  “Liar! Shut your fucking mouth!”

  “You’re a liar,” Shane said at the same time.

  Thames shrugged, stalking toward Shane. “I guess we’ll never know. I bet your Sorceress will grieve your death, won’t she?”

  “No!”

  Thames crossed the distance between them and pressed his hand to Shane’s chest just above his heart.

  Shane cried out as Thames pushed magic into him.

  “Stop!” Dakota pleaded. “Please just fucking stop!”

  “I know she is a healer, but tell me, Fighter, can she heal you if your heart is ripped from your chest?”

  “Stop, Thames!” Dakota screamed one last time before the warm spray of blood hit his face.

  Thames ripped Dakota’s hand back, and in the palm sat Shane’s bloody heart.

  “No!” Dakota screamed, pushing against the barriers Thames had erected inside his mind.

  Staring down at the heart, Dakota was unable to look away, forced to watch helplessly as his friend died by his own hand. Because whether or not Dakota had been the one to rip his heart out, he was responsible.

  Thames laughed, a chilling sound that filled the night. “That was a lot easier than I expected.” Crushing the heart, Dakota had to watch as it turned to ash and disappeared on the breeze.

  “Now, let’s go get my son, shall we?”

  “You fucking psychopath,” Dakota said.

  Thames ignored him, stepping quietly into Elizabeth and Tony’s cottage. “It would be so easy to slit her throat, Brother,” Thames thought so only Dakota could hear it.

  “Don’t you fucking touch her.”

  “Or what? I could kill them all and force you to watch.”

  “You wake her up and she’ll kill you. You and I both know Ana is far more powerful than you are. Otherwise, she’d already be dead.”

  Thames shrugged. “You may have a point, but she won’t be for long. Still, how easy would it be to slit her throat now while she slept?”

  “Ana!” Dakota screamed, panic racing through him. Images of Shane falling to the ground filled his mind again. Battering against the mental blocks once again, he felt a small give. Pushing harder, another crack formed.

  Sensing the near split, Thames headed for the room where Vincent’s son slept. Dakota kept pushing, fighting desperately for control.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Vincent appeared just inside the door.

  “Getting my son,” Thames said aloud, stepping past him to the boy’s bedside. “I’d love to stay and chat, but this one is becoming a bit of a nuisance,” he added, gesturing to his head.

  Reaching down, Thames touched the child before waving his hand and disappearing into a portal.

  2

  Terrenia

  Anastasia

  Anastasia hovered somewhere between asleep and awake, her mind running wildly even though her body was heavy with exhaustion. After arguing with Tony to no avail, she’d eventually succumbed and returned to the home he shared with Elizabeth for the night.

  “Get away from him!” Vincent yelled.

  Anastasia shot up, blinking rapidly as she tried to focus in the dark and figure out if what she’d heard had been real or a product of her insomnia-addled imagination. Kaley crouched beside the couch, facing the hallway and the bedrooms beyond, growling low in her throat.

  A young boy cried out, and Anastasia sucked in a breath. Vinny. She pushed off the couch and sprinted toward his room. She ripped the door open, and Vincent spun to face her, his eyes wild with panic.

  “What happened?” She rushed to the toddler’s crib. It was empty; the blue blanket that was knitted for him by one of the women in the village was gone as well.

  “He’s gone!” Vincent cried.

  “Who took him?”

  “Dakota!”

  Her blood chilled. Dakota wouldn’t have taken the boy, which meant only one thing.

  “What the hell is going on?” a half-asleep Tony asked from the doorway.

  “Apparently Thames is back.” Not taking any additional time, Anastasia rushed outside into the darkness and headed straight for her cottage.

  I knew I should have stayed there. Panic and anger fueled her steps as she raced back home.

  Once inside, Anastasia headed straight for their room and found it completely empty. Her heart shattered. She’d finally gotten Dakota back and, what, now she was going to lose him all over again?

  “Dammit!” The walls around her shook as magic poured from her body. Footsteps alerted her to someone approaching behind her, so she spun around.

  Vincent stood in the doorway, scanning the empty room.

  “When?” she asked.

  “Right before you rushed in. I tried to intervene, but it was no good. He just took him and vanished.”

  “What do you mean vanished? A portal? Disappeared into a fucking hat? I need to know, Vincent!”

  Her uncle narrowed his blue eyes on her face. “A portal, obviously.”

  “Obviously,” Anastasia retorted dryly, trying like hell to mask the panic and fear in her bones.

  Tony bounded in seconds later, Elizabeth on his heels. “He’s gone?”

  Anastasia nodded. “Fuck! We just got him back!” She slammed her fist into the nearest wall, magic powering the punch and splitting the wood.

  “How did he get out?” Elizabeth asked. “I thought the stasis was holding strong?”

  The front door opened again, and Argento stepped inside, flanked by two Fighters. “Phoenix, we have a problem.”

  “Tell me about it. Dakota is gone.”

  The Brute’s face contorted into a mixture of rage and grief. He shut his eyes tightly, before opening them again. “I fear it is much worse than that.”

  Anastasia’s heart stumbled in her chest. What if Thames had only used Dakota long enough to get free? What if he was already powerful enough to survive in another world without a host? “What is it?”

  “Come.” Argento turned and rushed from the cottage, and Anastasia followed, numb and fearful of what she might find once they reached their destination.

  An animal’s cry split the air, and Anastasia willed her legs to move faster until Kaley came into view, standing above a body. Head turned toward the sky, the feline unleashed another mournful sound.

  Dakota? Anastasia’s heart stalled. She pushed her legs harder, slowing down as realization threatened to drop her to her knees.

  The man lying beneath Kaley was not Dakota, but the truth wasn’t any easier to swallow.

  “Elizabeth!” Anastasia cried, sliding to her knees beside Shane. “No, no, no,” she murmured, pulling his head into her lap.

  Eyes frozen open, his mouth and chin were covered in already dried blood. There was a gaping hole in his broad chest, clear down through his ribcage.

  Elizabeth fell to her knees beside Anastasia, tears falling down her cheeks as she quickly assessed the Fighter, then looked up into Anastasia’s eyes and gently shook h
er head.

  “No!” Anastasia called to her magic, pouring it into Shane’s limp body. “Please don’t be gone,” she whimpered, holding him and willing her power to heal him. He couldn’t be gone; Shane was one of her best friends, a man who’d put aside his own feelings and cared only about her happiness.

  “Anastasia,” Tony muttered, kneeling beside her.

  A hand rested on her shoulder, but she brushed it off, still trying to heal her broken friend. There had to be a way! What good was all this magic if it couldn’t fucking help her when she needed it most?

  “He’s gone.”

  Turning toward Tony, Anastasia glared at him. “No! He’s not. He can’t be.”

  “No one could survive that, honey,” Elizabeth whispered.

  Anastasia shook her head, but Elizabeth’s words rang true. There was no way he could have survived his heart being ripped from his chest. Closing her eyes, she ignored the wave of dizziness that washed over her. She’d used too much power, but she didn’t care. None of that mattered if she couldn’t bring Shane back.

  She might’ve already lost the man she loved; she couldn’t lose one of her best friends, too.

  “Anastasia,” Vincent said, kneeling beside her, his semi-translucent form allowing moonlight to still shine through onto Shane’s pale face. “You have to stop, or you’ll kill yourself. He has no heart, Anastasia. You cannot heal what is not whole.”

  “I can’t stop,” she cried.

  “You have to. There will be time for revenge, but it’s not here. Not now.”