A Twisted Fate : The Dream Trilogy - Book 2

by Samantha Barrett

  “You didn’t upset me, big guy, you just surprised me is all. What you just said means a lot to me, and I appreciate you wanting to wait till after we’re married.” Nico didn’t get a chance to reply as my bedroom door opened with a resounding thud when it hit the wall, I jumped and Nico groaned. What is the point of having a fucking door?

  “Does locking a fucking door mean nothing these days?” I laughed at Nico’s irritation; every time we seemed to be alone someone always seemed to burst in without knocking.

  “Well, that is a sight I could have gone my whole life without seeing.” Nico quickly scrambled off me and back to his side of the bed at the sound of his sister’s voice.

  “What the actual fuck, Soph!”

  “Sorry, brother but you both need to get ready for breakfast so we can get this meeting with the evil witch over with, and then we need to get Ryan ready for tonight, so chop-chop.”

  “How did you get in here?”

  “I used magic, of course.” Right, of course, Sophia didn’t even seem like her not knocking was a big deal. What did I have to do around here to get to some sort of privacy? Not wanting to cause a delay or have Sophia just standing there staring at her brother and me, Nico left the room to shower and change and I did the same thing while Sophia waited for me on the chair.

  After showering and changing into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, I grabbed my sweatshirt from my bag and threw it on, trading my faithful Chucks in for my combat boots. It was starting to get really cold here, so I’m guessing winter was approaching. Due to the weather, we decided to hold our wedding in the chapel at the back of Jax’s compound instead of outside. After lacing my boots, I turned to tell Sophia that I was ready to go meet the others in the mess hall, but she didn’t hear me. I called her name three times before she finally heard me.

  “Sorry.”

  “Is everything okay, Sophia?” I had never seen Sophia so down and dare I say, sad.

  “The man that beat and tortured me for seventeen years is coming to watch my brother get married. Of course I’m okay.” I flinched at her dry tone; I didn’t even think about how Randall being here would affect Sophia. I am such a shitty person.

  “If I could have done this wedding without him being present, I would have Sophia, I swear. I hate that man for what he has done to you and Kai. He has my mother and my uncle now. I have to get them back, and when I do, I promise we will take that bastard down.” She didn’t answer, and my heart hurt for her and what she had gone through at the hands of that monster. We left the room and made our way toward the mess hall, but I had a question to ask her that was burning a hole in my mind since first meeting her. Clearing my throat and steeling my spine, I blurted it out. “Why is there a painting of you hanging in Randall’s office?” Sophia never faltered or paused, just continued walking. I didn’t think she was going to answer my question, but as the mess hall doors came into sight, she finally did.

  “My painting hangs on his wall because Randall Cane believes he is in love with me.” My jaw dropped, but she kept on walking as if she’d never said a thing.

  ∞∞∞

  After meeting everyone in the mess hall and quickly eating breakfast, we made our way to the cells. We went down in two groups, as the elevator wasn’t big enough for us all to go down together. Once we were all safely down and in the cell block, we made our way over to my sister and Tyler’s cells. As we rounded the corner, I saw my sister pacing her cell, muttering under her breath like a crazy person. Tyler was sitting on the cot in his cell with his head clasped between his hands.

  “Someone looks like they’re going a bit stir crazy.” I cut my gaze to Dom, warning him to rein it in; now wasn’t the time for jokes. I stopped directly outside my sister’s cell with Nico on my side.

  “I need you to tell me where the hell you put the family members of the elders you have imprisoned at Randall Cane’s manor.” My sister continued to pace her small cell, but she didn’t bother to hide her smile. She loved every minute of having the upper hand.

  “If you had just done as you were told and not fucked everything up, none of this would have happened.” Great, now she wanted to blame me for all her problems.

  “I’m not the one at fault here, Stevie, you are.” My sister stopped pacing and turned to face me, I gasped. Her eyes had changed color— they were black. I could see black lines dancing across her face. Mya was right; I was too late to save my sister.

  “Oh, don’t look so sad, sister, you knew this would happen. I just didn’t let you see the real me yesterday. I will kill everyone you hold dear. I will make you watch as I torture and kill them, and then when I am satisfied that you have suffered enough, I will then kill you.” I felt the tears start to build, but I wouldn’t let my sister see me cry or show her how much her words affected me. I would be strong and fight till my dying breath. The thought of her touching any of my friends or my cousins sent my blood boiling.

  “How the fuck does she have access to magic down here?” Jax hissed, and I turned to see what Jax was talking about, but he wasn’t looking at Stevie. I followed his gaze and saw my hands glowing blue. I’m guessing no one was supposed to be able to access magic down here, based on Jax’s outburst.

  “Because she is the only one who can save us from the darkness that lives inside her own sister.” I turned to look at Mya, confused at what she was saying.

  “Ahhhh, Mya, my trusty advisor.” Mya’s upper lip pulled back into a snarl. “Don’t be like that! We had fun together, didn’t we?” Stevie was smiling at Mya like there was a secret between them.

  “Go fuck yourself, Your Majesty.” Stevie laughed and it was a horrible sound, I can’t explain it, but it sounded half like a dog bark and someone having a coughing fit. Stevie stopped laughing after a minute and snapped her gaze back to Mya.

  “I, Stevie Lee Knox, hereby banish you, Mya Skye, from the Knox coven. You will not be returned to the mountain of the ancestors when you die, and you are forbidden from any and all contact with any Knox coven member.” Mya clutched at her chest right above her heart; there was so much pain etched across her face. “Don’t worry, though—my sister isn’t a member of the coven, and my cousins are now rogues, so you can still speak to them.”

  “You can’t fucking do this to her, Stevie! You will kill her!” I turned my gaze to Chase, who was making his way over to Mya. She was about to collapse before he got to her but Kai caught her and cradled her to his chest. There was an interesting look on his face, but. Alex’s outburst pulled me from my thoughts.

  “You fucking bitch! You just condemned our whole coven! Why would you do that?”

  “Because she didn’t tell you the best part, did she?” Everyone was looking between Stevie and Mya, waiting for one of them to speak and fill in the missing piece of the puzzle. “Oh fine, then I’ll tell them, shall I, Mya? She must have forgotten to tell you that in order for you to save that murdering bastard’s world, you must kill me, dear sister.” What the ever loving fuck is she talking about? “The only way for you to beat me is to unlock those precious powers of yours and learn to control them. You will not succeed at this task, sister; I will kill you before you have a chance.”

  My knees nearly gave out, but Nico wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. My sister just admitted that she would kill me and feel no remorse. How am I supposed to deal with that? All I wanted was to save her from this darkness, and she is too far gone. I can see the blackness running through her veins, and her eyes are a soulless pit. How did my sister become this monster? How did my dad let this go on for so long and not try to stop her? I let my tears fall, not from fear of my life but for heartbreak for my sister. Gone was the girl who used to sit on the phone with me and tell me I was going to be okay, and that she loved me more than anything in the world. My best friend is gone; my other half is dead. The person standing in front of me now isn’t my sister. The person standing in front of me is a monster.

  “I am so sorry, Stevie.”
I could hear the others murmuring behind me, clearly they were shocked I was apologizing. “Dad should have tried harder to save you. I should have known about all of this supernatural stuff so I could have helped you.”

  “You truly are fucking dumb.” Nico growled in warning beside me. “Dad couldn’t fucking save me! He was a gutless bastard.”

  “Don’t fucking talk about him like that! He loved us, Stevie.”

  “You stupid, naïve bitch! He found the answer to saving me; he just couldn’t go through with what he needed to do.” I turned to Mya, trying to read her face for any deceit. She was still in Kai’s arms but she had a puzzled look on her beautiful face. Clearly my father hadn’t told her about this.

  “What do you mean, Stevie?”

  “In order to save one from the fate of darkness, you must kill the light it was born with. To save me, dad had to kill you.” I gasped. That can’t be true, can it? “He chose you over me! He deserved his death!” My knees did give out this time, and Nico picked me up and cradled me to his chest like Kai had done to Mya.

  “We’re done here, you will be released in exchange for the elders return. If you do not meet these terms, you will be executed.” As soon as Nico finished speaking, he turned and started to walk away, but before we rounded the corner I saw a look of devastation and panic on Tyler's face.

  Chapter 34

  Nico

  We left the cells and went straight back to Jackson’s office. This place was starting to seem like our headquarters. I took the single chair by the window with Ryan still cradled in my arms. I watched as Kai gently deposited Mya on the other single chair. Kai was looking at her with so much confusion etched across his face, why the hell was he confused? He was so different now. I needed to get my head out of my ass and be there for my brother. Ryan started to sit up and try move to the vacant seat next to Jax, but I wasn’t having that. I wrapped my arm tightly around her waist and whispered in her ear.

  “You’re not going anywhere, love.” At my words she relaxed back into my chest, and I could tell from the look on her face she was pushing her emotions down and refusing to deal with them. I knew if she tried to deal with what she had just learned now it would break her, and we wouldn’t be having a wedding today or saving any elders.

  Her cunt of a sister pretty much just admitted to killing their father, and as soon as Ryan registered what her sister was saying, she collapsed. My strong little spitfire was trying so hard to hold it together.

  “We are royally fucked, and I feel like we’re missing a key piece to this puzzle.” Dom was right—something wasn’t adding up. Ryan turned slightly in my lap and faced Mya who looked shattered.

  “What happened to you back there, Mya?” Mya continued to stare at her lap. Just when I thought she wasn’t going to respond, she quietly said,

  “Your sister exiled me from my home.” I felt Ryan tense.

  “I don’t understand what that means, I’m sorry.”

  “What it means, Ryan, is the place I have called home for nearly a century is no longer my home. As the coven queen, she has the right to banish anyone she wants. I can never return to the coven.” I hadn’t heard of that ever happening before, so this was all news to me. I was also shocked to hear how old she was, I had never known a witch to live this long before. When Ryan gently moved my arm from around her waist I gave her a stern look, but she nodded her head in Mya’s direction, and I let her go and comfort the woman that had just lost everything. Ryan walked over to Mya and knelt down in front of her, grasping both her hands in her own.

  “I am so sorry for what my sister has done to you, Mya. I can’t comprehend the pain you are going through. Just know that we are all here for you, and you will always have a home with me. I will take back the coven from Stevie, and I will make sure you come back to your home.”

  Mya started shaking her head. She lifted her gaze to Ryan’s and I could see the tears in her eyes.

  “You will be a great queen, Ryan Knox, both here and in Farrarie. But you cannot undo what has been done.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What she is saying, Squirt, is once you are banished or exiled from the coven, you cannot come back. Stevie pulled the bonds from Mya that tie her to the Knox coven, and once they are gone, they’re gone.” I didn’t know that’s what happened to witches; in my realm, if you are banished, the king can change his mind and bring you back.

  “I am so sorry Mya, what my sister did is….” Mya jumped to her feet, causing Ryan to fall on her ass. I stood and so did the others in the room. Mya was fuming and glaring down at Ryan.

  “Your sorry does not fix anything! If your father had just done what he should have, none of this would have happened. You and your sister have ruined everything!” Mya rushed out of the room, and I stood there stunned at her outburst. Kai offered Ryan his hand to help her to her feet.

  “She didn’t mean what she said; she just lost her home and is lashing out.” Why the fuck was Kai defending this witch?

  “I’m not angry at her, Kai, my heart hurts for her and all that she has lost at the hands of my sister.” Ryan looked past Kai to the clock that said it was half past ten and sighed. “The wedding is at eight tonight, and we are running out of time, what the hell do we do?” Aurora spoke before anyone else could.

  “We send Tyler back to Randall with a message to release all your coven elders and to find the loved ones your sister has hidden.” Is she out of her ever loving fucking mind?

  “Rora, your brother is a traitor and can’t be trusted.” Finally something I can agree on with Alex.

  “He will do as he is asked.”

  “How do you know this for certain?” I asked Aurora.

  “Because he will do whatever it takes to ensure his mate’s safety.” Everyone in the room except for Ryan seemed shocked at Aurora’s admission. After a second, Jax started pacing his office.

  “That’s why my best friend did it, isn’t it? He betrayed me because he mated with that psycho bitch.” Aurora nodded and Ryan still said nothing—why?

  “Love, why don’t you seem shocked about your sister being a werewolf’s mate? You do know that a wolf has never mated outside of their race before, right?” Ryan took a deep breath before looking around the room and then settling her gaze on me. I saw the answer before she even said it.

  “I knew Stevie was Tyler’s mate.” Everyone started shouting.

  “When?”

  “How long have you known?”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Silence!” Everyone stopped talking and turned to face me. I guess I wasn’t the only one who had hidden things. “How long have you known about this, love?” Ryan squared her shoulders and lifted her head staring directly into my eyes.

  “Since the day they arrived here, Tyler told me she was his mate.” She has known for a couple of days and still said nothing to anyone?

  “Why didn’t you say anything, Ry?” I could hear the betrayal in Jackson’s voice. Tyler was his beta and his friend. Jackson thought he betrayed him because he liked Stevie, only to find out it was deeper than that.

  “Because Tyler asked me not to. I know you will all think I’m crazy, but I believe Tyler is trying to help us stop Stevie. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone or seal the fae realm. He just wants to fix my sister. He has been trying to guide her to do the right thing, but the more he pushes the more she pushes him away.”

  “I knew my brother wouldn’t leave me, I just knew it.”

  “But you knew, as well, didn’t you, mate?” Jax spat the word mate at Aurora like it burned his tongue. She flinched at his cold tone and dropped her gaze to the floor.

  “I didn’t have a vision, if that’s what you're insinuating, Jax. Tyler told me while you were all distracted with Stevie and Mya.” You sneaky little devil, Aurora.

  “What else did your brother say?” Jackson was being so cold toward Aurora, as if she had betrayed him as well.

  “He said that he woul
d help us get the coven elders back and try to help us find their loved ones. He believes Stevie has their loved ones locked in the basement at her cabin.”

  “He fucking tricked you! He is a liar and a rat bastard, Aurora.” Aurora started shaking and began to cry. Dom cut in front of Aurora to block her from Jackson’s view. Jax started growling, his eyes turning yellow.

  “She may be your mate, brother but you will not fucking speak to her like that again!” Jackson didn’t respond. His growl started to intensify and his eyes started to change to his wolfs. “She lost her brother and you lost your friend, do not take your anger out on her for loving her brother! She has done nothing wrong, Jackson.” Jax’s eye slowly started to return to their normal chocolate brown color, and once he had himself under control, his shoulders sagged. He knew he fucked up.

  “Aurora, I’m sorry. I should never have lashed out at you; it’s not your fault. My wolf is starting to pick up your faint scent, and it’s driving him crazy that he can’t fully scent you. It’s no excuse, but I’m on edge and so is he. He’s jealous that Tyler found his mate.” I dropped my head in shame at Jax’s quiet admission; I felt like a piece of shit for my hand in helping Aurora conceal herself from him.

  “I’m sorry, Jackson, but now isn’t the time to deal with us, I want to ask your permission this time, though.” Jackson lifted his head and Dom stepped aside to let him see Aurora.

  “My permission for what?”

  “To let Nico conceal my scent again.” Jackson recoiled like Aurora had slapped him. “You need to understand, Jackson. Right now, I need my abilities to help us. As soon as all this is over, I swear we will sit down and talk about this and sort something out.” Aurora was pleading with Jackson to understand her logic, and she was right, we needed her seer abilities now more than ever.