She turned back to Vincent. “Your eyes, spill.”
Vincent got to his feet. “I don’t know, Niece. A lot of the last twenty-odd years are a blur to me.”
“Try.”
Vincent narrowed his eyes at her, before beginning to pace. “I remember going to see you after you’d been born. I remember being angry that your father kept you from me, and I remember bits and pieces of the next two decades, some of which include things I did, although I can’t understand why I did them.”
Anastasia pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered, “I can’t believe I’m suggesting this.” She looked up at Vincent. “Is it possible you were being controlled for some of those years?”
Shane took a step toward her. “Seriously, Anastasia? You are going to trust his answer?”
She whirled on him. “How else do you explain what happened with Dakota today? Shane, didn’t you see his eyes? They were silver. Just like Vincent’s had been.”
“This is fucking unbelievable.” He turned around and stalked back toward the counter.
She watched him leave, completely understanding his anger. Vincent had tormented Terrenia for two decades, he’d killed thousands, enslaved hundreds, and murdered the woman Shane loved.
But the fact that there was more to the story was something she couldn’t look past. Not if she wanted to see Dakota again. Turning her attention back to Vincent, she said, “Answer me. Is it possible?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Do the Luxe possess the ability of mind control?” Anastasia asked Elizabeth.
“There is no telling what Thames is capable of. He completed total genocide on his own planet. To underestimate what he could do would be a mistake.”
“Fucking wonderful.” Anastasia shook her head.
A woman screamed outside, and they ran from the cottage. Anastasia’s blood pounded in her ears as they approached the village center.
“Robbie!” Tilly screamed from where she was being held by two Fighters.
Anastasia spotted Robbie standing in the center of the village, soaking wet. He gasped for breath, gurgling and spitting water from his mouth. His body shook violently as his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Stop this, Rosabel!” Anastasia screamed and ran for him, only to have her arm gripped by Shane.
“Stop, Anastasia!”
Rosabel appeared beside Robbie just as he crumpled to his knees.
“What the fuck do you want?” Anastasia screamed. “You have Dakota!”
Gasps erupted from the villagers who’d gathered in the center, but Anastasia paid them no mind.
Rosabel smiled at her and turned to face the rest of the crowd. “I will continue murdering you until you cast this so-called Sorceress out. She will be your death.”
“You bitch,” Anastasia growled, sparks lighting her fingertips. She flung her hand out, but her magic had no effect on Rosabel.
“She cannot protect you against me, which makes me wonder why she hasn’t left yet. It would have saved his life.” She kicked Robbie’s body.
“I will destroy you.” Anastasia ripped her arm out of Shane’s grip.
“You don’t have much time,” Rosabel told the crowd. “I will be back soon, if she is still here, you will all die.” The creature turned into water and disappeared into the ground.
“Robbie!” Tilly screamed and fell to her knees beside her husband.
Anastasia ran to them and pressed her hands against Robbie’s chest, trying like hell to put life back into him, but it was too late.
He was gone, and there was nothing she could do.
28
Terrenia
Anastasia
“Surely, this isn’t going to work.” Shane paced the inside of the training cottage, hands on his broad hips. “They can’t throw you out.”
Tony stayed behind with the rest of the villagers, along with Selena. They were holding a meeting with the elders in order to decide the next step.
“I don’t blame you,” Tilly sniffled. “The rest won’t either.” Her chin quivered, and she buried her face back into Elizabeth’s shoulder.
In all the years she’d fought back against the man she’d thought her father, no matter how many times Mitch had beaten her senseless, or how many battles she lost against Vincent, Anastasia had never felt defeated.
Until now.
Rosabel had Dakota.
She’d come into the village and murdered one of their own right in front of their eyes.
The whispers that spread through the villagers had not fallen on deaf ears; they were afraid, and rightfully so. Shit, even she was terrified.
“Surely, your people are not daft enough to believe she will leave them alone.” Queen Orlaith spoke up from where she and Nix sat cross-legged on the floor with the little princess between them.
“You’d be surprised,” Vincent muttered from his corner.
Anastasia shot him a glare. “I don’t think they’ll banish me,” she finally said. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean I should stay.”
Shane whirled on her. “You can’t be serious.”
“You saw what happened, Shane, I can’t stop her.”
“If you leave, everyone will die.”
“If I stay, they will, too. Queen Orlaith, Nix, I think you two should return to Jaitu.”
“We cannot leave you now, Sorceress. You may need us,” Orlaith insisted.
“You will be safer in Jaitu, and with the portal vial I gave Nallia, you can return should Rosabel show up.”
They hesitated before Nix stood. “Very well.”
Anastasia waved her hand and opened a portal to the Jaitu world.
“Should Terrenia cast you out,” Nix said. “You are welcome in our world.”
Anastasia smiled. “Thank you, Nix.”
“It was good to see you again, warrior.” Argento reached out and shook Nix’s hand. “I hope to see you soon under better circumstances.”
“Same here, Brute.”
“I’m so sorry for what happened to your world,” Anastasia told the queen.
Orlaith touched Anastasia’s arm gently. “No matter what anyone says to you, Anastasia, the deaths are not on you. Terrible beings will always find a way to do something horrible, most of the time with no reason at all.”
“Thank you.” Anastasia embraced the queen, who held the sleeping princess, then she and Nix disappeared into the portal.
Just as it closed, the door opened and a grim-faced Tony stepped in. His sagging shoulders and furrowed brow told her everything she needed to know, without him even saying a word. “It’s time.”
“Let’s get this over with, then, shall we?”
Following Tony, Anastasia stepped out onto the porch. The three elders, Serena, Zarina, and Oliver, stood before her, the rest of the village behind them.
She stood, waiting for them to speak, heart in her throat. Shane stepped up beside her, Tony to her other side as she awaited their decision.
Zarina moved forward, her eyes landing on Anastasia. “Sorceress, we cast you out.”
Anastasia’s stomach flipped as some of those who gathered howled in outrage.
“You can’t send her away!”
“We’ll die!”
“Do you not see you’re signing our death warrant?”
Others were not so supportive of her and offered silent nods at the elders’ decision.
“This is an outrage!” Argento howled in anger and clenched his hands into fists. “Do you not see what will happen if you send her away? You are fools!”
Zarina glanced over to him coolly. “Seeing as how you are a guest in our village, Brute, I would ask you again, to keep out of our business.”
“Idiots,” he grumbled angrily.
“You can’t be serious, Zar.” Shane moved down the steps toward her.
Zarina held her ground, her mouth tightening. They’d been friends since they were kids, and Anastasia knew the other woman had always hoped it would t
urn into something more. “I am serious, and I would ask that you support me. We’re friends and have been for longer than you’ve known her.”
“I can’t support this decision. It’s wrong.”
Zarina scowled at Anastasia and then back at Shane. “Then I suppose you’ve made your choice.” She cleared her throat and turned to face the villagers. “If you don’t support our decision, you may leave with her. Should you leave and change your mind, you will be welcomed back, but only if you choose to side with us. The Siren has spoken, and she will take no mercy on those who stand with the Sorceress.”
“When have we ever backed down?” Tony moved down the steps toward the elders, sending a few of the villagers backing them scrambling out of his path. “When has Terrenia ever bowed down from a fight? We are Fighters! Not cowards.” He glared at the elders.
“I agree with Tony. If Anastasia goes, so do I,” Selena said from where she stood.
“I will go, too,” Shane spoke next.
“Same here.” Andrew and his wife stepped toward Anastasia.
In the end, only a dozen people stood with her; everyone else voted for her removal. Anastasia wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. Terrenia had been her home. For years, it had been everything to her, and she’d fought, bled, and nearly died for these people.
Even though she’d thought maybe leaving would be a good idea, it still didn’t soften the blow of being cast out.
“I will honor your wishes,” she said softly and stepped down from the porch to make her way toward her home to pack her belongings.
Where the hell was she supposed to go?
Anastasia stepped into the bedroom she shared with her husband and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
Tears streamed down her face. How the hell had everything gotten so out of control?
“Are you confident in your decision?” Vincent asked from the corner of the room.
Anastasia sighed. “As confident as I can be.” What a world it was when she confided in her sworn enemy over her friends.
It had to look real, though. The only other person she’d told was Zarina. The woman had more pull in the town than anyone else, and her word would hold solid.
Terrenia had to cast her out, but knowing that certainly didn’t make it any easier.
“I certainly hope you aren’t leaving them to their deaths.”
“I do, too.”
“Doesn’t make it any easier to be cast aside, does it?”
“I just can’t believe they tossed me out. I thought Zarina would face a larger fight to get the ruling passed.”
“People will do strange things when they’re afraid.”
“I’ve never let them down. Not once in the last seven years that I’ve been here, and the one time I need their support, they push me aside.” Sparks snapped at her fingertips, proving just how close she was to losing it.
“Easy, Niece,” Vincent warned. “Those thoughts will lead you down a dark path.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do now? Rosabel is unstoppable, and I sure as hell can’t stay in hiding forever.”
“You fight, just like you have before.”
“What’s left to fight for?”
“Thames needs to be destroyed, Anastasia. You have to know that.”
“How the hell am I supposed to stop him? I can’t even take out that scaly bitch that took Dakota.”
“Your enemy chose her for a reason, Anastasia. You have to pull out of this pathetic pity party of yours and look at the big picture. There’s more to be seen.”
Anastasia clenched her fists. How dare he advise her? He wasn’t her father. Hell, he wasn’t even family to her. “You talk like you have stock in all of this. You’re dead, remember?”
“I have more in this than you could possibly understand.”
Vincent disappeared, leaving Anastasia staring at the blank space he’d once occupied.
Fight. Just what in the hell was she supposed to fight for? Thames clearly had the upper hand here, more so than Vincent ever had. Dakota was gone, Terrenia kicked her out… why should she keep fighting for them when they obviously didn’t give a shit about her?
The door opened, and Anastasia stepped out of her room to see Gage standing just inside the door. “Tell me it isn’t true.”
“It is.”
“Jackasses! Do they not realize what a fucking mistake this is?”
“It’s for the best.”
“You can’t honestly believe that.”
She shrugged, but didn’t respond. Her idea or not, she was angry and brokenhearted.
“Whatever happens, we’re with you. You know that, right?”
She smiled even though she didn’t feel it inside. “I know, thank you.”
“When are you leaving?”
“As soon as I’m packed.”
“I’m going to head home and get us ready to go. Please wait for us.”
“I will.”
Anastasia walked back into her bedroom and stared at the wooden dresser in the corner.
Numb, she packed clothes and her father’s journals into a leather bag and slung it over her shoulder. Eyes full of tears, she lifted one of Dakota’s shirts to her nose and inhaled deeply.
Although it had been washed, she imagined she could still smell him in the soft fabric. What the hell is going to happen now?
Fight. Her hands clenched into fists, and she tossed the shirt back onto the bed. Dakota was her light, her partner, and she was going to fight for him.
Anastasia stepped from her cabin, bag in hand. Kaley padded over and rubbed against her. “Thanks, girl,” she whispered, rubbing her velvety fur.
She swallowed her pride as she walked toward the center of the village. People had gathered, but whether they assembled to see her off or make sure she left, she wasn’t sure. As she moved, she tried to avoid the eyes of those who’d cast her out, and those who’d been too afraid to stick up for her.
Argento, Tony, Elizabeth, Selena, Shane, Tilly, Andrew, Gage, and a handful of others stood at the gate with their bags. She walked over to them, fighting back the anguish building in her chest.
This was her home, and she was being forced from it. By a creature who’d already taken her husband.
“We’re truly sorry it has to be like this,” Oliver told her. His wrinkled face was turned down sadly, and Anastasia met his eyes.
“Not as sorry as I am.” She turned to face the rest of the crowd. “I truly hope Rosabel keeps her promise. Good luck,” Anastasia said, turning toward those who followed her.
The gate opened and, gathering the rest of her dignity, Anastasia stepped out from the safety of the walls with those she could call friends flanking her.
The heavy wood closed behind them, and Anastasia continued walking until they were far enough to prevent any eavesdropping.
“Where are we going?” Zoey, Gage’s wife, asked.
“To my grandmother’s. She has enough property that we can camp out until we figure out what to do next.” Tears filled her eyes as she studied the group of people with her. “I want to say thank you for coming with me, for your support, and I promise I will do everything I can to keep you safe.”
“You are not to blame for what happened this morning,” Selena told her. “We trust in you because you’ve always fought for us.” The woman reached forward and squeezed Anastasia’s hands.
With these people, she could take on the worlds, all of them. And that’s just what she was going to do.
She would fight for those who followed her, and damn it, she was going to win.
29
Luxe
Dakota
Dakota’s eyes fluttered open. For a moment, everything around him was only a blur of color; no shapes could be made as his vision swam.
Had he been drugged? Rapidly blinking, everything slowly formed around him, and he realized he had no fucking clue where he was.
Dakota got to his feet on shaky legs, and looked around the larg
e dark room. The black marble floor was cold beneath his bare feet, and the only furniture in the place was a black chair sitting like a throne beneath the only skylight.
“Hello?”
There was no answer, just the steady echo of the space around him. Step after shaky step, Dakota made his way down a hall and toward a pair of large doors at the end. With a heavy creak, they opened to reveal a balcony.
He stepped out onto the cool stone and stared at a dark sea of destruction. There was no life below him, and his breath came out in gusty puffs of air as the chill seeped down into his bones.
“Beautiful, isn’t it, Brother?” A deep voice spoke behind him, and Dakota spun to see a large man walking toward him.
His dark hair was long and fell to just above his shoulders. Narrowed eyes regarded him warily, as if Dakota was the dangerous one.
This man was destruction, there was no doubt in Dakota’s mind he was deadly.
“Who the hell are you?”
The man laughed. “I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me, would you? Our bitch mother kept you from me.”
“Excuse me?” Dakota’s hands balled into fists.
“I believe you know her as Elizabeth.” The words were said as if they left a bad taste in his mouth.
“She is my mother, and you damn well better watch your mouth.”
The man simply shrugged. “She is not just your mother. You’ll see soon enough.”
“Who the hell are you?” Dakota repeated.
“Thames.”
“And why am I here?”
“Because I need you.”
“Why?”
“Long story, just know you should get comfortable as you’ll be here a while.”
“Like hell. I need to get back to…” A tear-stained Anastasia popped into his head as memories poured in.
“She won’t be waiting for you.”
“What the hell did you do?”
“I couldn’t have her coming after you, at least not before I was ready.”
“Ready for what? What the fuck am I doing here?”
“I’ve been alone a long time, Dakota. Ten thousand years, to be exact,” Thames said, ignoring the question as he looked out over the emptiness below.
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