I stood and stretched, watching Gordon for any sign of awareness. A soft snort escaped his lips, but he didn’t move. Would he even hear if someone were at the door? It didn’t look like it. I removed my flipflops and crossed the room in my bare feet. Braden wouldn’t tolerate a dirty floor, so I didn’t worry about stepping in something.
All the texts about supernatural families seemed to be on the same side of the room, which was convenient for me. I looked through the fae stuff again, flipping through several books and putting them back. Finally, one caught my eye, but only because it had a picture of a man. He looked a little like an elf but was too short and muscular.
I sat on the floor and started reading. Not only could these fae change their own appearance, but others as well. They easily manipulated others into their way of thinking. They also channeled the elements, allowing the power to flow through them, making them exponentially stronger than other magic users. I already did that, didn’t I? Göksu said something similar, hadn’t he? Was he preparing me to use my fae magic? It sure sounded like it. But I couldn’t change my appearance, or anyone else’s for that matter. Braden insisted I convinced others to do what I wanted, but I’d never noticed it. Destiny seemed to dictate my entire life.
I huffed. Regardless, it still didn’t make me some super powerful being that Braden feared. And fear was the only explanation for his reaction. He wanted me on his side because he didn’t want to fight against me. But he also said everything I needed was here in the library.
Göksu?
Yes, child.
Tell me what you know.
You would already have my knowledge if I could. The regret in his voice rang out loud and clear.
That’s bullshit, I snapped. This is my life we’re talking about!
It’s everyone’s life. I already told you I’ll do whatever I can do to protect you, but my ultimate loyalty is to this world.
Whatever! My ignorance is somehow better?
For now, yes.
Because I was the enemy. Some super-secret nuclear weapon.
Tell Kellen I’m going to see his family. I’ll be in Alexandria tonight, waiting for him.
Göksu didn’t reply, but I didn’t expect or want him to. He probably felt it. These magical beings were so stupid. Throwing all this out there and then refusing to give me details only drove my curiosity. Admitting the danger would scare the shit of me and keep me away from it. Why couldn’t they see that?
Braden said the answers were here. If I didn’t find it, I’d get the information from him. I stood and ran my fingers along the spines of the remaining books. They looked like children’s bedtime stories.
“You already got through that entire pile?” Gordon asked, startling me again. He hadn’t moved from the sofa too small for his long legs.
“No, I found references to other things that led me back here,” I replied. “I had no idea so many myths were actually real. How do they keep it all hidden?”
“Because the alternative is death.”
Chapter 31
The chair propped under the door handle rattled. Gordon zipped across the room in seconds and removed the barrier. The door opened revealing a scowling Braden. My new friend dropped his head and stood to the side.
“Come with me,” the elder said.
I had hoped he’d be in a better mood. I needed more information. I retrieved my shoes and purse, then stood at Braden’s side. “Thank you for all your help, Gordon, and the company.”
His brown eyes met mine with a smile. “The pleasure was all mine, Magister.”
“Call me, AJ,” I corrected.
“Are we done with the niceties?” Braden snapped.
I never thought I’d see someone bristle, but that was the only description for Braden. What had his panties in a bunch? At least he was wearing them. I giggled, then clapped my hand over my mouth. He turned his scowl on me.
“Sure,” I replied. “Let’s go.”
Back in the foyer, I fell back into tourist mode. The beauty was amazing, regardless of the fact the room was devoid of any furniture or the potential enemies lurking all around. Braden grabbed my elbow, pulling me up a wide staircase along the wall.
“This is beautiful, Braden,” I whispered, running my fingers along the wooden banister.
His grip on my arm loosened, and I looked up at him. Dark circles lingered under his eyes, but a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. Something had happened, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like it.
He pulled me into the last room along the hall at the top of the stairs. I expected a bedroom but was surprised by an office in typical Braden style. Clean and elegant. He crossed the room and opened another door, then motioned me inside.
“We need to talk,” he said.
His lack of ‘let’s make a deal’ worried me. I chose to remain silent rather than asking the dozens of questions running through my head. I got the impression he was sharing without any prompts. The room I walked into was dark and windowless, the only light coming from the open door. Braden flicked a switch on the wall and several lamps brightened the space before he closed us in his bedroom. Also elegant and clean. The temptation to wrinkle the white bedspread nearly overwhelmed me, but I refrained. The only thing in the room was a large bed and two long dressers with mirrors hanging over them.
“I don’t suppose you have a bathroom I can use?” I asked. I’d been holding it most of the day, not wanting to interrupt Gordon’s nap.
He pointed across the room. “The door on the left. Make it quick.”
I did. His anxiety was infectious, and the curiosity over it was killing me. A few minutes later, I sat on the edge of his bed while he leaned against the nearest dresser.
“Gordon will take you to our private airstrip in an hour and travel with you to Alexandria,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “There will be clothes and a passport for you on the plane. Do not leave his side until your partner shows up, and don’t convince him to take you sightseeing. That’s not his job.”
“What’s happening?” I asked. “We weren’t supposed to leave until tonight.”
He shifted his weight to one foot and looked at his shoes. Was that uncertainty from this arrogant man?
“Jack will be here at sunset,” he replied. “He’s demanding Sergey’s presence.”
That wasn’t good news and could mean all kinds of things.
“Does Jack normally come here?”
“No. He always makes us come to him.”
I scooted back on the bed and tucked my legs beneath me. I didn’t think I knew enough about Jack to draw any conclusions.
“What do you think happened?” I asked. “How did he find out about Sergey?”
“I was hoping you’d know,” he answered.
“What? How would I know? I’ve been with you the entire time.”
“Can I see your phone?” He held out his hand and I laughed, pulling it out of my purse and tossing it to him. He caught it easily. “This isn’t funny, Alisandra.”
“No and yes,” I said. “You can’t figure out how I’m communicating with Kellen, so you assume I’m spilling your secrets. What the hell do I gain from telling Jack anything?”
“The lock code for your phone?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Jackass,” I replied. “All lowercase.”
He raised an eyebrow at me and typed it in, shaking his head when it worked. “I won’t ask what prompted that.” He scrolled through my texts with Logan, continuing to shake his head.
While he scoured my personal messages with my love, I racked my brain, trying to think of who knew about Sergey’s retreat. All the mages involved saw him walk away, and the rumor mill at the palace was prolific. Elaine and Yun knew, which meant Jonathan did as well. Had they told Fiona and Otto?
“How does Kellen know where to meet you?” Braden asked, interrupting my thoughts.
He cradled my phone is his hand but stared at me. Could I chance offering another
deal? Yep, because I was stupid like that.
“The knowledge will cost you,” I responded.
His eyes glowed red and he dropped my phone on the dresser. “You would play games with me?”
My heart raced with fear. I tried to convince myself he wouldn’t hurt me. Scare me, sure, but not hurt me.
“You started it,” I quipped.
He crossed the room and pushed me onto my back, hovering over me with his hands on the mattress beside my head. His red eyes bored into mine, long fangs protruding from his mouth.
“Tell me,” he slurred past his fangs.
“What makes my fae magic so dangerous?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “I read all your books and nothing indicated some super-secret nuclear weapon you believe me to be.”
He leaned down and placed his fangs on my neck. I stifled my scream, but it still emerged as a tiny squeak. “I’ll bite you back,” I threatened, remembering his warning about mixing our blood and ignoring my elemental’s warning not to.
He pulled away but not very far, leaving his face inches from mine. His sharp teeth receded with his red eyes. “I think you’ll be the death of me,” he whispered.
“Let’s hope not,” I breathed back. “Let’s at least wait until Jack is defeated.”
He rolled off me and sprawled out on the bed. I unfolded my legs and rolled onto my side. He did the same and propped himself up on his elbow.
“You found the part about channeling the elements, correct?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“That doesn’t scare you?”
“Nope.”
“Mages cannot channel the elements,” he continued. “They command them. I realize you’re trying to convince them otherwise, but that is a fae trait, not a mage one.”
“And how does that make me dangerous?” I asked. “Dangerous enough that my father would rather see me dead?” I realized that was the question I needed answered. What was so bad that my own father wanted me dead?
“Blood magic is also fae,” Braden replied. “Mages don’t do that.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I argued. “Kellen was the one who told me to do it the first time.”
“No, Kellen told you to take the water from the vampire’s body, not his blood.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Who told you that?”
“Are we trading information?”
“Obviously,” I spat.
“Then let’s draw clear lines,” he said. “I want to know how you’re communicating with Kellen.”
“I want to know why you fear me,” I stated. “Which apparently includes your knowledge of my first kill.”
“Then I want to know how many of your fae traits are already activated,” he countered.
I wrinkled my nose. “I might not know that.”
“But you’ll tell me when you do.” He made it a statement, rather than a question.
“I’m not sure I can,” I answered. “There are some things that cannot be shared.”
“Then there’s only one piece of information to trade,” he replied. “If you can repeat your performance this morning with the power of all four elements, what would happen on the battlefield?”
I frowned, dropping my eyes to the white coverlet beneath me. I only had two elements, not four. The book said the fae were tuned to the elements. Did that mean all of them? If so, where were these mythical creatures with so much power? Why weren’t they in this fight?
I didn’t know that answer, so I went back to Braden’s question. I could probably kill a lot of vampires. No, they wouldn’t be dead, just suffering in an almost dead state. Bile rose in my throat, and I swallowed it with effort. I could never do that.
Could I?
“I won’t do it, even if I could,” I replied.
“Not even to protect your mages?” he questioned, lifting my chin with his finger and forcing me to look at him. “If it meant freedom or slavery for humans, what would you choose?”
“I hate you,” I grumbled.
“As you should,” he whispered.
“Why don’t we just kill Jack today?” I asked, pulling my mind from the grotesque visual he’d created. “We could end this whole thing by killing him now.”
“It wouldn’t end with Jack’s death. There are too many others with the same desires,” he replied, running his thumb along my jaw before dropping his hand to the bed. “They’ll pick up the reins and keeping running.”
I failed to suppress the shivers running down my spine from his touch. “Is there no way to avoid a war?”
“I’ve been trying for decades,” he answered. “I should’ve killed him years ago before he sowed his seeds of insanity.”
“Why aren’t you onboard with him?” I asked. “Human slaves would be ideal for you and your clan.”
“Who will provide my wealth if humanity is enslaved?” he replied, surprising me. “The supernatural community cannot sustain our current lifestyle. Most of them hide in the wilderness from humans. They have no money.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
He sat up and smoothed his shirt. “I’ve lived in poverty and squalor, feeding off rodents to keep from starving. I’ll not allow my people to endure that.”
I pushed away the pity that rose for him. It accomplished nothing.
“What will Jack do here tonight?” I asked, sitting up next to him.
“He will make an example of Sergey and pick another to take his place,” he replied.
“Does he suspect you? Is that why he’s coming here?”
“Probably. I’ll redirect his suspicions, but it’ll make everything that much harder.” He fisted his hands in his lap then stood, crossing the room again. “He’ll make the entire display in front of my people, which will create doubt in my ability to lead them.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t just kill him?” I asked again. “It’ll take time for someone else to take charge. Time we can use to solidify our alliances.”
He turned to me as I slid from the bed. “Elder vampires are not easy to kill, little mage,” he replied. “You cannot kill me without your fae magic.”
My eyes widened at the revelation. That was twice now he shared information without asking for anything in return. “Can Jack kill you?”
He smiled at me and shook his head. “Get out of my house before I tell you all my secrets.” He tossed me my phone and opened the door.
I stopped in front of him and tapped my temple with my fingers. “I talk to my elementals all the time and they pass the information to my partner,” I whispered. “You’ve seen my relationship with them. I’m surprised you didn’t already know.”
He laughed and pushed me out the door. “I should’ve known.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, I buckled my seatbelt on the most luxurious private jet I’d ever seen. Okay, it was the only one I’d ever seen, but it was still amazing. Gordon sat across from me. He’d been silent the entire trip to the airport and even now, he wasn’t interested in conversation. It left me plenty of time to think about how much my life had changed in the last couple of months.
I was no longer a weak little girl rejected by everyone. I didn’t like the fact that my enemies wanted me just as much as my allies, but I had to admit that it felt good to be wanted and accepted. Having the power to protect myself felt just as good, even if it did carry the weight of my responsibilities.
Despite all the good feelings, apprehension and fear cast a really long shadow. I had a feeling I’d be facing my father soon. The old fear of rejection twisted in my gut. He’d abandoned me once already. Any reunion between us would struggle to get past my resentment.
And my deal with Braden was only the beginning of that nightmare. I still couldn’t believe I was stupid enough to make an oath with him, an oath I knew nothing about. Why did he want to keep me forever, not just twenty-four hours? There had to be a reason beyond his sadistic pleasures. He knew way more about what was happe
ning than the little bit he revealed to me.
It wasn’t just a little, though. I’d learned a lot from him. Would I have another opportunity to learn more? Maybe he’d let me spend another day in his library. So much information sat on those shelves, information I needed about the supernatural families.
My thoughts wandered to Kellen. How would we convince his family to believe us over King William? Kellen had admitted he hadn’t talked to his uncle in ages. Would they trust his word? If we did manage to convince them, where would we go next? I couldn’t use the portals, so we’d have to fly. Did we have time for that? Maybe Kellen could go without me.
The thought of being alone scared me, which was ridiculous. I’d been alone my entire life, so why was I afraid now? It had to be all the people who wanted me. I didn’t want to spend my life looking over my shoulder for the lurking vampire.
I stared out the small window next to me into the setting sun. My life would never go back to anything resembling normal. I just hoped it didn’t end in my death or the death of someone I cared for.
Epilogue
Braden watched his newest toy slide into the black Cadillac with more grace than any human should possess. Her fae blood would give her those traits, but they weren’t activated yet. Not yet. The small clues to her heritage shined like a beacon to anyone who knew what to look for, but her other skills were a mystery to him. He hated not knowing. Knowledge had proven its worth so many times in the last few centuries. He would discover her secrets, hopefully before their war with Jack.
Braden’s lip curled in disgust at the thought of his brother. The moron would ruin everything for them. How did he not see their destruction? Nothing good could come from this war. Jack had lived through the last hunts. He’d witnessed their near extinction, starvation, and suffering. Braden shook his head.
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