Cimmerian Shade: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Collection

by Kiki Howell

  “I am not.” Gabriel stood, gaze shifting between Caine and Natalya. A slow smile crept across his face, and Caine caught a glimpse of the images in Gabriel’s mind.

  Caine snorted a laugh, shaking his head. “And you think a little dalliance with a court lady is enough to get her to trust you?”

  Gabriel turned his gaze to Caine, his eyes alight with memory, the memories Caine was now privy to. “It was more than a dalliance, and yes, she will trust me.” He raised an eyebrow. “And she is Fortis, after all.”

  Natalya threw her hands in the air. “You are incorrigible. You spend your time hounding me, professing your undying love—not to mention trying to kill Caine more than once—and then I come to find you’ve been having an affair with Aranda? If I had accepted you, how would you have explained that away?”

  The smile on Gabriel’s face grew, exposing his fangs. “My dear, I’m a man with needs that go beyond that of simply drinking blood. She was willing, and you were not. A man must do, what a man must do. You would have had my undivided, and quite considerable, attention, if you’d accepted me.”

  Natalya let out a cry worthy of any warrior, and lunged at Gabriel. Before she could strike him, Caine stepped between the two. “Enough. This isn’t helping.” He turned to Gabriel. “You are certain Aranda will do as you ask? Without betraying you?”

  “She is Fortis,” Gabriel repeated. “She’s been using potions to cover her scent for as long as I’ve known her. She helped me when Mistress decided the punishment for harming you was to remove my skin. Without her, I might well be dead. Or horribly disfigured.” Gabriel moved uneasily, as if the wounds were fresh. “She, like I, have been waiting for this day for a long time.”

  Natalya pulled away from Caine. “Fine. The past is the past. I’m just glad I never had to give in to your considerable attentions.”

  She knelt by the stag, and Gabriel watched as she filled a cup, and he took it when offered, sipped the blood delicately before draining the cup dry. He stood for a moment, eyes closed, slowly licking his lips. Then he handed the cup to Natalya.

  “I’ll arrange that part of our surprise. You go speak to the Fortis, make sure they all have weapons.” He grasped Caine’s hand. “Let me show you what I see of the throne room.”

  In an instant Caine’s mind was filled with images. He recognized the room in which he’d met Mirella. He saw guards at the doors, Mirella seated, the rest of her court milling about. There was the hidden door behind the throne. Through that, a hall leading to the back of the building. He saw hiding places for the Fortis, places for them to enter, where he and Gabriel should attack from. It was all as clear, as if he were standing there. Gabriel released his hand.

  “There. Show the Fortis. Make them see.”

  Before Caine could respond, Gabriel was out the door. Natalya came to him, and handed him a cup of blood. He looked into the crimson liquid, then downed it in one swallow. It was rich, potent, tasting of forest and earth, utterly delicious. But it wasn’t enough. That small swallow had only awakened his hunger, created a raging beast inside him.

  He threw the cup aside, and fell on the body of the stag, fangs tearing flesh, until he found a vein. And then he fed, long and hard. He was dimly aware of Natalya watching him, a mixed look of horror, and awe on her face. But he was too hungry to care what she thought. The beast in him was ravenous, and he gave in to it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  THE FORTIS ROSE, as he stepped into the night. He looked across the faces turned toward him, and saw anticipation and hope. For a moment, their raw emotion overwhelmed him. But then a feeling of power, of certainty rose up in him. He would do this. They would do this. He stepped forward into their midst.

  “We have a plan, and it will work. I need you to open your minds to me, to see what you need to do.” Caine closed his eyes, and instantly the Fortis were there in his mind. They were silent, sharing his vision, understanding in a heartbeat, what would be required of them.

  He opened his eyes, staggering a bit. So many other minds connecting with his was dizzying, strangely thrilling, but exhausting to the bone. He hoped there would be an end to this soon, the relentless drain of his energy, and he could have his mind to himself again.

  “You will leave now. Watch for werewolves. They may already be tracking us, and you may run into hunting parties. Rest at the river crossing in the foothills, near the mill. We will follow.”

  There was soft talk between them, the sound of rushing water over gravel. He waited a moment, until they were silent again.

  “We attack tomorrow, near dawn. Gabriel has gone ahead to put in place his part of the plan. Should anything go awry, he will call to us and let us know. But we will attack, regardless his success, or failure.”

  Privately, he knew Gabriel would succeed in convincing Aranda to do his bidding. The man was nothing, if not persuasive with women, and if Aranda was loyal to the Fortis, as Gabriel had assured them, she would willingly do what he asked.

  The Fortis were suddenly moving, dispersing into the forest, wraiths among the trees. Elsbeth stepped forward. “We will await you. Gods speed in your travels.” She tipped her head to him, and then she, too, was gone.

  Malachi motioned him back into the hut. “You will need to take blood with you. It will be a bit dangerous. The wolves may scent what you are carrying.” He handed Caine a leather bag heavy with blood.

  “Feed as much as you can so you are not weak. It will be easier.” Malachi shrugged. “It will be hard, regardless. It will be less taxing though, if you are well fed. Natalya, you as well.” She nodded, accepting a smaller bag from him.

  “I wish you were coming with us, Malachi.” Natalya set her hand on Malachi’s arm. He shook his head.

  “I am too old to be of any use in this battle of yours. I am lucky to be alive, after the attack from Moonbay. I can’t follow you into this war, Natalya, though I wish I could. Please, be well, child.” He reached out, cupping her face with his hand. Caine watched, and for a moment, he looked into Malachi’s thoughts, and saw that the man’s love for Natalya was overwhelming. He loved her more than just a foundling who’d come to him for shelter. He’d loved her as a daughter.

  Caine stepped forward. “I’ll protect her with all that I have, Malachi. You have my word.” Malachi raised his eyes to Caine’s, held his gaze for a moment, and then nodded. He turned in a swirl of crimson robes, and was gone.

  “We should go, Caine. It’s a long way to the river.”

  He turned to Natalya. The fire in the hearth was almost out, and her face was cast in shadow, but he could feel the tension in her body. She’d packed the few things they’d brought with them, adding the bags of blood to the leather satchel. He took it from her, and slung the strap over his shoulder.

  “We should.” He looked around the hut. He hoped with all his heart they would be back to see Malachi once again. Closing the door, he led Natalya into the darkness.

  THERE WAS A SOFT KNOCK on the door. Natalya sat up, momentarily forgetting where she was. Caine was sleeping beside her, one arm thrown over his eyes.

  Tugging one of the blankets from beneath him, she wrapped it around her body. Opening the door a crack, she saw Elsbeth standing in the dark.

  “It is time, Natalya. I apologize for waking you, but...the Fortis grow restless.”

  “But the sun just set, did it not?” She clutched the blanket around her shoulders.

  “It did, but they wish to speak with Caine.”

  “I’ll come talk to them in a minute.”

  Natalya turned. Caine was sitting up, the sheet pooled around his waist. She turned back to Elsbeth with a small smile. “He’s yours then, in a moment.”

  Elsbeth nodded. “I’ll tell the others. And we have fresh blood. Come drink with us.”

  Natalya watched the small woman move through the forest. In the distance, she could pick out hints of shadows, as the Fortis moved between the trees. There were dozens of them, but they were silent, more sile
nt than any vampire she’d ever known, something they must have learned from living for centuries in the forest.

  “Come with me.” Caine stood behind her. He planted a kiss on the nape of her neck.

  “They want you, not me.” She turned, and he folded her into his arms.

  “I don’t want to be away from you any more than I have to. We come as a pair.”

  She turned her face to him, and he kissed her. “Fine. I’ll come along.”

  He swatted her not so gently on the backside. “You better get dressed first. I don’t want the Fortis getting any wrong ideas about you.”

  She pulled on her hunting clothes, wishing suddenly this was over, that they were living in her little cottage again, that she had clean clothes. And that they could sleep in her bed, with all the pillows and satins and linens. Frivolous as it had seemed, right now she could think of nothing better than sinking into the feather mattress with Caine, pulling the soft linen over them, and not coming up for air for days.

  Sighing, she pulled on her boots. Caine held the door open, and they walked out into the night.

  They sat with the Fortis for several hours, and Natalya was glad she’d come. They shared blood, and then they had questions, not about the attack, but about Caine. He shared his story, how he’d come to be Fortis, how Natalya had saved him. The role Gabriel had played.

  Then the Fortis began talking, each sharing their story. It occurred to Natalya, listening to them in the dark, each with a tale of their creation, that this was their legacy. Each had come to this life in a different way, under a different set of circumstances. Each was unique.

  Mirella had taken that from them, given them a name that meant nothing, cast them out. Treated them as if they were less than whole. She felt a stab of guilt; she’d never thought of them other than a group, never as individuals, each with hopes, and dreams.

  All each one wanted was to tell their story, to be heard, and perhaps if they died, to be remembered.

  Natalya leaned her head on Caine’s shoulder, letting the voices of the unheard wash over her.

  THEY ROSE AS ONE, READY to fight. It would take them several hours of travel to reach the Seethe, and as much as Caine wanted them to save their strength, the Fortis was gnashing its collective teeth, sitting still.

  “You know what to do, and how to do it. All I ask is two things of you... the Seethe Mistress is mine. She is too powerful for any of you to attempt to kill. She will turn you against yourselves before you know what is happening. And do not sacrifice yourselves needlessly for my life.” He looked down at Natalya. “That goes for all of you.”

  The Fortis raised their weapons, their cries echoing through the trees. Then they slipped through the forest, leaving Caine and Natalya alone.

  “Come. We need to find Gabriel.” Caine took Natalya’s arm. He pulled the shadows around them, and they disappeared into the night.

  For a moment, Caine let himself enjoy the freedom of being with Natalya, invisible to the world, moving together in silent shadows. He knew all too soon that this moment would end, but for now he breathed deeply of the night air, and moved on.

  The Seethe lay in a valley between two mountains. In his mind, Caine saw the Fortis split, spilling down each side of the slopes, circling the Seethe. Caine and Natalya stood at the head of the valley, waiting.

  Caine opened his mind, and searched for Gabriel. For a heart-stopping moment, there was nothing, not even the Fortis in his mind. Panic stole over him. He’d either lost his abilities, or something terrible had gone wrong.

  But then he saw Gabriel, heard his voice. And then Caine swore under his breath.

  “What is it?” Natalya looked at him in the dark, her eyes wide.

  “The bastard is there, alright. He’s with Aranda. And it’s not gift-giving they’re discussing, unless you count the gift he’s giving her at the moment.” Caine spat on the ground in disgust.

  “You’d think at a time like this he’d manage to keep his breeches on. Or at least wait until we’ve defeated Mirella.”

  He heard Natalya’s laugh. “You know as well as I do that Gabriel will never change. Perhaps it’s payment for delivering the gift? No sense jumping to conclusions.”

  “You were ready to attack him earlier, for just this thing.”

  She sighed. “And now I’m not. Listen.”

  They straightened. A bell tolled at the Seethe, low and solemn.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s calling the court to the throne room. Gabriel must have, well, finished. And Aranda is on her way. Apparently this is going to be a bigger battle than we thought, if the whole court is invited.”

  “What the hell kind of gift did he tell Aranda she should say she’s bringing?”

  Before she could answer, Gabriel was there in Caine’s mind. Closing his eyes, Caine could see the throne room, see the court members assembling. And with that image, he understood Gabriel’s plan. He opened his eyes, turning to Natalya.

  “If the court is there, we can kill anyone who has allegiance to the Seethe. It’s actually brilliant.”

  “But can the Fortis defeat them all?”

  He heard the worry in her voice. “They can, and they will.” He closed his eyes again, searching for Elsbeth. Just Elsbeth, not the entire Fortis. It was too much, they were too much, with their energy and anger, right now.

  He called to her, and she opened her mind to him. In the instant, she saw what Gabriel did, he felt her panic. Then she settled, took what he had shown her, and showed the rest of Fortis. He could feel the information, and images passing from one to the next, like a streak of lightening through the dark sky. She came back to him, and he knew they would do what they came to do.

  “It’s done. They know. We need to find Gabriel. Cloak yourself well, and we will meet him at the back of the Seethe. Hopefully the guards—and Mirella—are distracted enough by Aranda that we can pass unnoticed.”

  They drew the shadows down around them, and made their way to the back of the Seethe. As they approached, Caine caught an image of Gabriel in his mind, standing in the shadows of a hidden door. He pulled Natalya into the recess, and discovered Gabriel waiting.

  “You’ve made this quite a bit bigger than we’d originally planned, Gabriel.” Caine let the shadows fall. Natalya took a moment longer to materialize beside him.

  “It was Aranda’s idea, actually. The more Seethe are here, the less we have to deal with in the future.” Gabriel held out a small glass vial toward Caine.

  “This was her idea as well. A potion she made, the same one I used to cover my Fortis scent when I was in the Seethe.”

  Caine looked at the vial. It was filled with a cloudy blue liquid, faint threads of black swirling through it. He frowned, glancing at Gabriel, who stood, hands on his hips, almost tapping his foot with impatience.

  “Oh, come on, man. Drink it. It would do me no good to poison you now. I’m in this as deep as you are. Read my mind, if you want.

  Caine pulled the stopper from the bottle. He looked at Natalya, said a quick prayer, and downed the liquid. It burned like fire, and it was all he could do to not spit it at Gabriel. He felt it moving through him, into his blood, flowing beneath his skin. Beside him, Natalya gasped, and took a step back.

  “What? Am I turning blue?” Caine held out his hands, turning them over in the darkness.

  “No, it’s working. I can’t smell you at all, Caine.” She leaned forward, sniffing his arm. “It’s as if you’ve vanished. At least you’ve vanished as far as my nose is concerned.”

  He threw the vial to the ground. “Good. Then let’s go. Mirella should be calling Aranda forward at any moment. If she’s left there with nothing to give, Mirella will become suspicious.”

  They stole through the door, into a narrow hall with a door at the far end. Gabriel turned to them, his voice dropping to a whisper.

  “Cloak yourselves. That door opens a few paces behind the throne. Caine, be prepared. Mirella will use her mind on
all of us. You, me, even Natalya, she cannot truly control. But the Fortis are an unknown in this. We don’t know the extent of their powers. We need to get to her as quickly as possible.”

  Natalya nodded, then dissolved into the darkness. Gabriel did the same, with a final sharp look at Caine. He sensed them moving down the hall away from him.

  As they reached the door, a bell sounded, quite loud. Without needing to be told, Caine knew it was the bell announcing Aranda.

  Caine stepped forward, brushing past Natalya and Gabriel, pulling the door open. He was still uncloaked, and he heard Natalya’s gasp, felt her tug at his sleeve. Gabriel swore, and uncloaked himself, but Caine was already past him, walking swiftly toward the back of the throne.

  There was no way Caine was going to hide himself. If he was going to face Mirella, he was going to make damn sure she saw him coming.

  Everyone in the throne room was focused on Aranda. As Caine peered around the throne, he saw her, in such a deep curtsy that her forehead touched her knee, her long hair trailing on the carpet. On either side were Seethe guards, a formality really, both standing relaxed, neither holding a weapon Caine could see.

  He glanced up, and to his left, he saw Mirella rising. He pulled back, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

  “You have a gift; I understand?” Mirella looked down at Aranda, and Caine saw a smile of anticipation on her lips, as she took another step forward, down one step, toward Aranda.

  “I do, Mistress.” Aranda’s voice was muffled as she rose. She straightened, and looked directly at Caine. “And it is this.”

  From the full sleeve of her gown, she pulled a silver dagger. It whistled through the air, slicing through the neck of the guard to her right. The man clutched his throat, then fell back with a thud.

  Aranda swung around, the knife making a silver arc, aiming for the other guard. He was staring open-mouthed at the man on the floor, and Aranda sank the knife into his heart. The guard looked down in surprise at the knife sticking from his uniform. Aranda pushed the knife further, twisted it, and the man staggered a step toward her, knocking her off balance.