Beloved Rebel: A Dark Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (The Accursed Saga Book 2)

by Eva Brandt

  This was pointless. I was going around in circles. Vandale would either help us or he wouldn’t. In the meantime, I wouldn’t hesitate any longer. I couldn’t afford to. I had promised myself that I would do whatever it took to rescue my soulmates, and I wouldn’t back out, not now.

  Decision made, I stalked to his side and grabbed his arm, squeezing it so hard my fingers started to hurt. “Swear to me that you’re telling the truth. Swear that both of them are fine and that you don’t mean us any harm. Swear on your wife’s soul, like you did that time.”

  Something dark and painful flickered through Vandale’s—or rather Darius’s—eyes. “I swear,” he murmured, no trace of mockery in his tone. “I swear they are unhurt and I’ll do my very best to make sure they stay that way. In exchange, I’d like a vow and an explanation as well.”

  Ah, there it was. The catch, the moment when we’d have to pay the price for Darius’s life. I instantly became wary, but I didn’t refuse him. I would give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for now. “That’s very vague,” I said. “Please elaborate.”

  Vandale did. “It’s quite simple. The first is a promise that you’ll trust me to keep my word. If you don’t, we won’t ever be able to escape the Alarians. They will be watching us carefully, especially now, and while I would prefer to leave the Palasion immediately, it won’t be possible yet. “

  “It’s unfair to ask that of us when all you’ve ever done so far is attack us,” Malachai replied, frowning. On some level, I felt the same, but I decided to not say it.

  Vandale shrugged, dismissing Malachai’s words. “Yes it is, but I haven’t been a fair man in a long time. I don’t care about such arbitrary notions and I don’t think you do either. I have other priorities and a question you’ve yet to address.”

  “So you’ve said,” I answered. Before making any promises, I wanted to know what troubled him so much that he would insist on an explanation now. “Just ask your question. We’ll think about the rest after that.”

  “I appreciate the attempt to compromise, Lucienne, but the question is not directed at you.” His gaze zeroed in on Malachai once again, this time far more fiercely than before. “Malachai Braun, I need you to tell me a very important thing. How did you get Alaric’s pendant? Who told you about it and why did it come to you?”

  That was actually a pretty good question and something I had wanted to ask as well. There just hadn’t been any time, since after the trial, I’d felt the sudden need to see Darius and I had prioritized.

  I faced Malachai as well, waiting for his answer. He said nothing. When the silence stretched out awkwardly between us, I suddenly had a feeling the worst had yet to come.

  * * *

  Malachai

  When Alois had told me about the pendant, I hadn’t expected Mathias Vandale of all people to confront me about it first. I hadn’t really given much thought to how I would explain my ability to use an artifact that had belonged to the High King Alaric, but I’d had other priorities at the time.

  Alois’s reaction to the whole thing certainly didn’t help. He’d chosen to stick with me after the trial, unseen and unheard, and I suspected he might have had something to do with the reason why it had been so easy for me to enthrall Eileen Vaughn. Beyond that, he hadn’t intervened. Perhaps he couldn’t.

  When Mathias Vandale confronted me, though, all that changed. “How did you get Alaric’s pendant?” Vandale asked, his gaze as sharp and biting as his power. “Who told you about it and why did it come to you?”

  I might have figured out an answer, some way to hedge, like I had in the courtroom. However, Alois chose this exact moment to pop up in my line of sight. “Oh, dear,” he said. “This could be a problem. He’s always been like a dog with a bone and there’s no way he’ll let this go.”

  Despite my best efforts, my gaze was still drawn to him. I wanted to ask if I was supposed to explain or not, but everyone—including Lucienne and Bjorn—was still staring at me. I didn’t want to look like a crazy person talking to thin air.

  I paused for too long, and it did not end well for me. “Malachai?” Lucienne asked, her voice thick with a concern that hurt more than most types of magic could. “Are you all right?”

  I immediately wanted to reassure her, but I didn’t get the chance. “Of course he isn’t,” Vandale replied. “He just used an artifact he never should have touched, something teeming with dark magic.”

  “Dark magic?”Bjorn repeated. He narrowed his eyes at me, scanning me from head to toe in a mix of suspicion and dread. “Is that true, Malachai? How did you manage to gain the power to use the pendant? What price did you have to pay for it?”

  I didn’t know why he cared. We weren’t friends. We were only allies, if that. Still, Lucienne was present, and I didn’t want to fight with Bjorn in front of her. “I didn’t have to pay any price. And I’m no dark mage, Bjorn, you know that. Vampires don’t practice such arts.”

  “Maybe, but you’re not just any vampire,” Vandale snapped at me. “I know that pendant better than almost anyone. There’s always a price to be paid by its wearer. Now tell the truth. What have you done?”

  Alois rolled his eyes. “Oh, for gods’ sake. When will he stop being so paranoid? He’s concluding that you might have been corrupted by the pendant and forced into working for the person who created it.”

  What in the world was Alois talking about? The creator of the pendant had died a long time ago, before The Pure Kingdom of Alaria had even existed.

  It was yet another question I couldn’t ask. I made a mental note to mention it later. The list of things I didn’t know was getting alarmingly long, and I didn’t like it.

  Fortunately, Alois decided to dismiss the necessity for secrecy, at least in front of the people currently present. “It looks like we don’t have a choice. Tell them about me, but don’t rush. Be kind. And don’t go into too much detail about the past life thing if you can help it.”

  Be kind? What in the name of the High King was that supposed to mean? It looked like Alois was trying to hit the record on how confused and irritated he could get Malachai Braun.

  I decided to approach this like I would an official report. It probably didn’t count as kind, but going into detail would help my companions process what I was telling them. Or so I hoped.

  “When I was in my cell, a vision of a young man came to me. He introduced himself as Alois and explained the truth about the High King’s Privilege. He also instructed me to ask for the pendant at the trial.”

  Vandale’s eyes widened when I spoke the name, but he said nothing. Encouraged, I continued my explanation. “I didn’t believe him at first. Even if he was right and the High King’s Privilege was an ancient artifact, it seemed unlikely that I would be able to use it. Even so, he was very convincing, and when things went downhill at the trial, I had no choice but to resort to his suggestion. I’m actually just as surprised that it worked as you are.”

  My prison clothes didn’t have any pockets and the pendant’s chain was missing, so I’d yet to stash it anywhere. It buzzed lightly in my grip as if it was trying to tell me something.

  I opened my fist, revealing the item to my companions. “I don’t know if this is dark magic or not. So far, it doesn’t seem to have had any detrimental side-effect. But if you have any insight, I’m all ears.”

  Despite his earlier urgency, Vandale didn’t ask for further details. “You don’t need to worry,” he said, his eyes going blank and dead. “You did the right thing. The pendant isn’t dangerous. Alois is on our side.”

  That wasn’t what Vandale had been saying mere minutes ago, but no one called him up on it. Instead, Bjorn zeroed in on a different detail, on the way Vandale spoke Alois’s name. “Alois is a friend of yours then?” he asked. “Another person of your confidence?”

  Vandale grimaced, obviously not wanting to explain Alois’s identity. “Something like that, yes.” His voice softened and his eyes glazed slightly as if he was staring out into
the distance, at something we couldn’t see. “But he’s been dead for centuries now. I didn’t expect to ever hear that name again.”

  Not just a friend. A lover, perhaps.

  I looked between Alois and Mathias, and for the first time, I noticed that Alois was practically vibrating with subdued energy. Waves of suppressed power flickered underneath his skin, making him glow like a dying star.

  “Well, he’s still around, if there’s something you want to tell him,” I heard myself say. “For some reason, I’m the only one who can see him, but he’s here.”

  Vandale jerked like he’d been physically struck. “Alois is here? Now? Where?”

  I pointed in Alois’s general direction. It was difficult to believe that someone with Mathias Vandale’s senses—or even Prince Darius’s—couldn’t feel or see the accumulation of power that signaled Alois’s presence, but the truth could not be denied.

  Vandale stared at the spot, then back at my face. “If you’re lying to me or playing some kind of trick...”

  “Why would I joke around with this, under these circumstances? You don’t have to believe me. I just thought you should know. The two of you seem close.”

  “That’s one way of putting it,” Alois and Mathias both said at the same time.

  Mathias didn’t realize it, but Alois let out a bark of delighted laughter. “I guess some things never change.”

  His expression sobered when Mathias walked up to him, moving with such reckless haste he almost walked straight through his friend/lover/whatever-Alois-was-to-him. I caught his arm and stopped him. Alois wordlessly extended his hand, and I followed his silent suggestion. Gripping Mathias’s palm, I guided it over Alois’s. “He’s right here. You should be able to feel him if you move your hand down, just a little.”

  Mathias frowned and took a deep breath. Like I had told him, he lowered his hand until it reached the exact point where it needed to be. His point of contact with Alois flashed, pulsing like a heartbeat, once, twice, three times. When the glow diminished, Vandale was as pale as death. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.”

  “Can you see him?” Lucienne asked, walking up to us.

  Vandale shook his head. “I can’t see him, no, but I can feel him. I can feel his warmth.”

  He watched Lucienne curiously as if contemplating something. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but Alois obviously guessed, because he snatched his hand out of Mathias’s reach. “I have to go,” he suddenly blurted out. “I can’t stay here any longer.”

  When he disappeared, a wave of magic crackled violently through the air, striking everyone, not just Mathias and me. Lucienne gasped. “Okay. I felt that too. Was it something I said? Because I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get in the way of your reunion.”

  Vandale sighed, suddenly looking very tired. “You’re not in the way, Lucienne. You’re never in the way. There’s just a lot of baggage between Alois and me. I failed him in ways I cannot even begin to express and his death is on my hands. I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me for everything I’ve done, but that isn’t your fault.”

  I frowned, going over his words in my head. Alois had said that the two of us had known one another in a past life. Mathias Vandale was much older than me, so it wasn’t out of the question that he would’ve met Alois the old-fashioned way, in his current body. Well, the one that belonged to him, not Darius’s. If that was the case, had I met Vandale in the past too?

  This was complicated and I really didn’t have the time and patience to think about it now. Vandale had gotten to touch his dead boyfriend. I needed some news on Declan in return.

  “Right. I hate to change the topic like this, but I think I’ve answered your question. Now, can you answer ours, and this time without being so cryptic? How’s Declan? Why did you take him captive?”

  To his credit, Vandale didn’t seem offended by my sudden desire to focus on Declan and not Alois. “It’s actually a long and complicated story.”

  “Well, un-complicate it, please,” Lucienne insisted. “We need to know where we stand with one another.”

  “That’s fair enough.” Vandale pursed his lips. “How should I put this? Remember your father, Lucienne? I mentioned him in our last conversation.”

  Lucienne shot him a disbelieving look as if she was silently saying, “Of course I remember, you dimwit.” She obviously knew what he was talking about. I wasn’t that lucky. Lucienne had never mentioned a father when she’d visited me in the cell.

  Thankfully, Vandale’s following explanation more or less answered the questions I didn’t ask.

  “There’s no easy way to say this, Lucienne. Your father and I... We don’t really get along. By that, I mean that I’ve actively been trying to kill him for the better part of a millennium. I still am, by the way, and I was actually tracking his movements when that whole business at the club happened.

  “That’s why my forces and I were there. I sensed your father’s magic on your friend, Diane Garnier. Unfortunately, she escaped before I could pursue her and you managed to do enough damage to me that I was temporarily incapacitated.

  “Which brings us to Declan. It appears you and your father have some kind of mental bond. I don’t understand it. My data is... incomplete. But he found out about your relationship with Declan and deemed him a threat. According to what Declan told me, it might have been because he questioned your father’s existence and thus endangered your relationship with him.”

  “What are you talking about?” Lucienne asked, befuddled. “I don’t remember Declan and I ever...”

  She trailed off as if she’d had a sudden realization. “Oh. The voice.”

  “Yes. The voice. Also, in case you’re wondering, that damn snail monster you sicced on me when you were in my head. That wasn’t nice, by the way.”

  “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m really not,” Lucienne replied without missing a beat. “You had it coming. Anyway, I take it he was the one who attacked Declan, and you... What? Saved him?”

  “Pretty much, although that wasn’t exactly my intention. I’m not that selfless. But like you said Lucienne, I don’t have to be. The world would be a much better place if everyone was selfish.”

  “But in the right way,” Lucienne said. “Yes, I remember.”

  She sounded a little gobsmacked, struggling with the sudden onslaught of information Vandale had dumped onto her shoulders. Bjorn stepped in, buying her a little time to recover.

  “Assuming we believe all this, what are we going to do ? You’ve managed to save Darius’s life, right? Can’t you switch bodies again and give him back?”

  Vandale shook his head. “The connection between my mind and his snapped under the strain of the switch. Of course I can reverse the process, in theory, but in practice, it’s going to be a little tougher. We’re going to have to be in the same place first. And even if we arrange that, a second transfer would be inadvisable now.”

  “What?” I asked. “Why?”

  Vandale gave me a look that suggested he was questioning my level of intelligence. “Leaving aside the fact that souls aren’t actually supposed to switch bodies? It’s quite simple. Prince Darius might not be dying now, but we don’t know if the Alarian Vow is broken or has just turned dormant. We need to find a way to make sure. Because if I do return Darius to his body and the Alarian Vow reactivates, there is no way I can help him a second time. The curse is still a problem, so I think we should be prepared for the possibility that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”

  Well, shit.

  Eleven

  Anchors

  Darius

  “So you and Mathias Vandale. How did that happen?”

  Declan stopped flipping through the files he was currently sorting and turned toward me. “Is that really what you want to talk to me about, Your Highness? My sex life?”

  “If you want me to call you Declan, call me Darius. And that is one of the things I want to talk to you about, yes.”

  Declan
had said that Mathias had left behind comprehensive files that would allow me to understand how his organization worked. Unfortunately, Mathias was apparently a very messy person and the files in question had somehow been lost in the mess of documents that filled his office.

  I couldn’t do much to help Declan search, so I had started to look over the books in Mathias’s library. It didn’t help me, though, and my lack of focus was what had ultimately brought me to approach such a sensitive topic. “I apologize,” I said, realizing the comment had been out of line. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Declan snorted. “I’m not offended. It’s not all that complicated either, I guess. He saved my life from Lucienne’s father, although I didn’t realize it at the time. Then, he reminded me of some truths I had forgotten. He reminded me who I really was.”

  “And who is that? Who are you really, Declan?”

  When Declan smiled, I swore I could catch a glimpse of fangs. “Just another wolf warrior, Your Highness. Nobody that important.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that.” For a few seconds, I wondered why Declan’s situation was bugging me so much, and then the realization hit me. “You’ve changed. Something’s different about you. I don’t know if it’s because of your near-death experience or your recent relationship with Mathias, but you need to be careful. Lucienne wouldn’t want you to get hurt. She’s very worried about you.”

  “I know.” Declan’s hold on the file in his hand tightened and his claws emerged, piercing the paper. “And I want to return to her side. But if I do that, I might not survive it. Out of all of us, you and I are the most vulnerable ones to the curse on Lucienne’s soulmates. The others might be able to endure for a while longer, but we won’t be so lucky.”

  “Is that why Mathias insisted to extract me from there in such a convoluted way?”