“Everything okay?” Anastasia asked Selena when they stepped inside.
“He’s been quiet.”
“I’ll go check on him.” Elizabeth disappeared, and Anastasia checked the room for Vincent. He was nowhere to be seen, and she wondered just where the hell he disappeared to when he wasn’t here.
Could she trust anything that came out of his mouth? Of course not. He was a lying, deceiving, piece of crap, just as she’d always known him to be. But her gut told her there was more to the story than she was getting. Things weren’t adding up, and she figured her uncle was probably at the center of it.
“Anastasia!” Elizabeth called.
Her heart in her throat, she ran to the bedroom. “What is it?”
“He needs to get to the emergency room now.”
Even from the door, she heard his wheezing. “I’ll grab Tony,” she said, knowing he was the only one who could carry Dakota. Based on his current condition, there was no way in hell Dakota was going to be able to walk.
She ran for the door, only to see he was already walking in.
“I was just coming to get you.”
“I know, he told me.” He gestured behind him, but no one was there.
“Who told you?”
“Vincent,” he whispered. “Apparently, Dakota has gotten worse, and he thought you may need me.”
“Well, wasn’t that nice of him,” Anastasia replied dryly. What agenda was he playing at? Did dead people even have agendas?
“What’s going on?” Tony asked as he followed her to the bedroom.
“Thank God, Tony.” Elizabeth’s shoulders relaxed when she saw Tony. “We need to get him to the hospital.”
“They wouldn’t let you have the medicine?”
“Honestly, at this point, I don’t think it would help. He needs fluids and IV antibiotics.”
Anastasia’s heart was in her throat as she watched Tony lift Dakota. His eyes were closed, his face covered in sweat and colorless.
“Let’s get out of here, then, shall we?” Tony suggested.
Anastasia opened a portal, and they stepped back through and into the alley beside the hospital. She didn’t care if anyone saw them, all that mattered was getting Dakota help.
18
Luxe
Thames
Thames studied the shadows lurking before him. The dark void where there should be substance overwhelmed him with pride. His new sons were ready to join the others in the shadow world. His shadow world. One he had created with the flick of his wrist.
His eyes focused to survey his own dying world just as his hand clenched into a fist around his scepter.
The blackness stretched as far as the eye could see, or at least any eye other than his own. No, he didn’t have the luxury of blindness against the darkness, and could see every single inch of his crumbling home. Not that it bothered him tremendously; his home was weak and couldn’t host his abilities.
He was power, and with that came sacrifice. One day, he would have Terrenia, and it would feed his immortality until it crumbled apart at the seams as well.
When the Sorceress had killed Vincent, he’d felt the blow. It had been enough to render him useless for the better part of two years. He’d hoped that time would have given her a sense of peace, he had hoped she would have grown complacent or afraid, much like the coward that had come before her.
Instead, she’d been trying to rally worlds against him. Against what she couldn’t even come close to understanding. He smiled, and the dark glint in his eye went unnoticed by his new progeny.
He owned them. They were just too naïve to understand it. But they would, soon.
“You will go and tell Silex he is to move forward with the next stage.”
“Yes, Father.” The shadow closest to him spoke. The inky shadow vanished, leaving Thames standing alone in his world.
It had been millennia since he’d seen light. He’d hidden away and commanded Vincent to do his bidding.
Vincent. He nearly growled. That sorcerer had proven much more difficult to control than he’d originally anticipated. He’d had plenty of times to kill the new sorceress and yet had failed each and every time.
Why? Because they’d shared blood? Or because he had truly been no match for her?
Thames knew better. When you wanted to take down someone as powerful as she was, you had to attack where she least expected it. Where she would never see it coming.
You couldn’t attack her with power—that would only prove deadly to whomever went up against her. She was entirely too powerful at full strength; he was no fool to that. It was why he hadn’t yet made a move against her.
He had considered killing everyone she cared for, but all that would come from that was her fighting harder to gain revenge.
No, in order to take down The Sorceress, she must be stripped of her will to fight by removing the very reason she fights.
Her own insecurities would prove to be her downfall.
“Master.” Rosabel materialized in front of him and bowed her head.
“What is it?”
“I am almost ready to take what’s mine.”
“Soon.”
“He is weak now, I could go to him.”
“He will resist you still.”
The Siren bit back her next words. Smart. He was growing wary of her obsession.
“I come with news, Master.”
“What news?” He straightened in his chair.
“Your mother is alive.”
19
Seattle
Anastasia
Anastasia stared down at Dakota. An oxygen tube ran across his pale face, and machines tracking his heart rate and pulse ox filled the room with a steady beeping. Seeing him like this was harder for her than she’d imagined.
Especially since she couldn’t do anything but wait.
She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his arm. What was she going to do if anything happened to him? How was she supposed to spend the rest of her life without the one person who understood her?
It seemed crazy to her that after everything they’d been through, a sickness was what would take him away. Almost too crazy. Elizabeth confirmed it was pneumonia, but a part of Anastasia refused to believe it was that simple.
Anastasia straightened and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“How are you doing?” Elizabeth stepped into the room and handed her a cup of coffee.
“It just seems crazy to me how one day he was fine, and the next day we’re sitting in the hospital.”
“Yeah, this is the most aggressive case of pneumonia I think I’ve ever seen.”
“Makes you wonder if it wasn’t caused by something—or someone.”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “You think Rosabel caused this?”
“I don’t put much stock in coincidences, and it would be a hell of a coincidence if Dakota just so happened to come down with an illness the day after she put her nasty fish mouth on his.”
Someone knocked on the wall beside the door, and they both turned in that direction as Ashton stepped inside.
“Mrs. Parker.”
“What are you doing here?” Anastasia got to her feet.
“Want to tell me what the hell you’re doing here? In case you forgot, I’m the cop, so I’ll be asking the questions.”
“How could anyone forget? You rub it in our faces every time we turn around.”
“Dakota is sick, he needed a hospital.” Elizabeth stood and touched Anastasia’s arm to try and calm her down.
It didn’t work. “What the hell do you want?” she demanded.
“I want to know if you’re causing this storm.” He opened the blinds.
“It’s a storm, Detective. Seattle gets them all the time.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Not like this. This isn’t natural.”
Anastasia stepped to the window. The rain was falling harder than she remembered it ever doing before, but sometimes, things change. It wasn’t until purp
le lightning streaked across the sky that she considered Detective Dickhead might actually have a point.
“I don’t control the weather.”
“Then how do you explain this happening the second you show up?”
Anastasia frowned.
He smiled. “Yeah, that’s right. I was called the second you stepped foot in this hospital.”
“So, now you’re keeping tabs on me?”
“You bet your ass I am. Where you go, trouble follows, and I’m damn tired of our city having to fight your war.”
“It’s hardly my war when Vincent had been gunning for this world, too.”
“And whose blood relative was he?”
Anastasia growled. “Blood had nothing to do with it.”
“Sure it didn’t.”
They stared at each other, neither of them refusing to back down.
“I will say it one last time,” Anastasia snarled. “I don’t control the fucking weather.”
“Then who does? Because I know in my gut this has something to do with you. The last time I went anywhere with you two, I was nearly drowned by some weird ass water chick. Now, you show back up, and the ocean has decided to take out its anger on my city. You tell me if you think that’s a little too coincidental.”
Fuck. He had a point. Not that she’d tell him that. The smug look that would surely show up on his face would be enough for her to end him where he stood.
“I will look into it.” She turned away from him.
“You damn well better because, Sorceress or not, I will kill you if you continue to bring war to my people.”
“In case you forgot, Detective, she’s human, and that makes her one of your people,” Elizabeth snapped.
“She’s an abomination, so no, I don’t consider her one of my people.” He turned and left the room.
“He’s an asshole.” Elizabeth rubbed Anastasia’s shoulder.
“He’s not wrong, though. I’ll be back.” Anastasia stepped from the room and headed toward the stairs. Ashton would likely be on the elevator, and she had no interest in being in an enclosed space with a man she hated and who despised her in return.
After making her way down four flights of stairs, Anastasia stepped out into the fierce storm attacking Seattle. Wind whipped the hair from her shoulders, and she stared out into the distance.
Rosabel appeared in front of her, and a grin spread across her face.
“This you?” Anastasia pointed to the sky.
Rosabel nodded. “This is only the beginning.”
“Why? Why the hell are you doing this? Go find someone else!” Anastasia screamed.
“Why would I do that? I want Dakota. There is no one else for me,” she said simply.
“Why?”
“You should ask his mother.”
“What the hell does she have to do with anything?”
Rosabel shrugged and disappeared.
20
Terrenia
Tony
Tony watched as Selena played with the small boy in the town center. Seeing her chasing a young one around had a smile playing at his lips. Even if that small boy was the son of the man who’d been responsible for so much carnage.
“Hey, Tony.”
“Gage, how’s your wife?” Tony greeted the other man who came to stand next to him.
“Zoey’s good. Tired of being pregnant,” he said with a smile. “Not that I blame her. We’ve got two already.”
Tony let out a laugh. “You certainly do have your hands full.”
Gage and his family had chosen to stay in Terrenia after the war with Vincent came to a close. He, Dakota, and Anastasia had known each other as children, and while the three of them claimed they never got along well, they certainly did now.
He was also a hell of a Fighter, especially given the fact he’d only been training for the last two years.
“She says this is the last one, but that’s what she said after Izzy, and again after Andy was born.”
“She’s a great mother.”
Gage smiled. “She is. How’s Dakota? Serene told Zoey he was sick.”
“Lizzie and Anastasia took him back to Seattle. He needed to be in the hospital.” After he’d carried Dakota inside the hospital, Anastasia had sent him back through the portal to keep an eye on things at home. With Rosabel targeting Dakota, they couldn’t take any chances with their people.
“Damn, what does he have?”
“Lizzie thinks it’s pneumonia.”
“Man, hopefully he gets better soon.”
“I’m sure he will. Dakota’s tough.”
“Isn’t that the truth. Andrew said you had some things to tell me, was that it?”
Tony shook his head. “There’s a potential new threat to our people.”
“What?”
“A Siren by the name of Rosabel. It seems she’s set her sights on Dakota.”
“As in…?”
Tony sighed. “Apparently, she wants to mate with him.”
“Well, I bet Anastasia took that well.” Gage chuckled. “What does that mean for us? You think she’ll attack Terrenia to get to him?”
They’d kept the knowledge of Vincent’s son just between the four of them and Serena. But Tony felt it was time to at least let Gage in on it. How else was he supposed to ask the man to help keep an eye on things? The other Fighters were volatile when it came to the memory of the Sorcerer. He hoped Gage would be less bent on revenge.
“That’s not the only person she’s after,” Tony added, nodding toward the little boy Serena was playing with.
“The kid?”
Tony nodded and lowered his voice. “That boy is Vincent’s son.”
Gage’s eyes widened. “His fucking son? Seriously?”
“We need to keep it under wraps, Gage. The boy hasn’t done anything, and while I hope the other Fighters won’t take it upon themselves to harm him, I don’t want to risk it. There’s a lot of hatred for Vincent amongst our people.”
“Hell yeah there is. That asshole kept my family hostage, too, Tony.”
“Do you mean to harm the kid?”
“Of course not.” He shook his head, and Tony could see he studied the child more closely now. “So, she’s after him, too. Any idea why?”
“We aren’t sure yet. Could be she wants to use him for any power he might have, or it could just be a way to get back at Vincent for damage to her or her people. Who knows at this point? It’s not like we’re the only ones with a grudge against him.”
“True.” Gage considered. “What do you want me to do?”
“Help me keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I don’t want to alert the others yet. We just got back to some form of normalcy around here; I’d hate to rip that away from them unless absolutely necessary.”
He sure as hell hoped it wasn’t going to be necessary.
“Well, if this Siren is targeting Dakota, I’d put my money on Anastasia kicking her ass before we have to do anything.”
“I hope you’re right.” But it was going to take more than that. Especially given the fact they had no idea how to stop her since she seemed to be immune to Anastasia’s power.
A portal appeared to their right, and Tony expected Lizzie or Anastasia to step through. When they didn’t, his hand gripped the hilt of his sword.
Four large beasts stepped through the swirling blue light, and as soon as Tony recognized the one in front, he relaxed.
“Argento, we weren’t expecting you.”
The Brute’s face was hard. “We’ve got a big problem, Fighter.”
21
Seattle
Dakota
Dakota stood in a dark world. “Hello?” He could feel the death surrounding him, but could hardly see anything. “Ana?” he called, but no one answered.
A bright light appeared in front of him, illuminating a castle just up ahead. Dakota all but ran to it, while trying to be cautious in his new surroundings.
Where the hell was he?
He’d just been at home, talking to Ana and his mom, hadn’t he? How did he get here?
As he moved closer, the light brightened, until he was standing on the large stone steps.
“Home,” a man’s voice whispered to him. But that didn’t make any sense. Terrenia was his home, not wherever the hell this was.
He crept up the steps and pushed the large wooden door open. It was dark inside, but Dakota stepped in anyway, taking his time moving down the slender hallway.
“Brother.” A deep voice filled his head, but when he spun, he was alone. Or at least, he had been. Two transparent figures appeared down the hall from him. They didn’t look at him, and Dakota wondered if it were possible they couldn’t see him. Studying the two beings, Dakota felt an instant familiar connection.
One of the men had dark hair and was bleeding from multiple wounds.
The other appeared to be unmarred.
“Larynt,” the unmarred man spoke tightly. “Where are our parents?”
“You have to stop this madness. It is not too late,” the one that had been called Larynt pleaded.
“It is not too late for you to join me. Do you not realize what our people are capable of? We could rule together, Brother. Side by side.”
“I have no interest in the other worlds. They are not ours.”
“But they could be, with the flick of Father’s scepter, we could own them all.”
“But why? What reason would we have for that?”
“Power, Brother. The ultimate power.”
“You have been corrupted. Please, let me help you.” Larynt lowered his sword slightly and took a step closer.
“I am not the one in need of help.”
As Larynt stepped closer, the other man’s hand twitched near his weapon.
“No,” Dakota called out.
They didn’t hear him, and the sword was knocked from Larynt’s hand.
“Please, don’t do this, Thames. We’re brothers,” Larynt pleaded as Thames’ hand closed around his throat.
Siren Page 9
