“Maybe it’s nothing…” began Paxx.
“It’s never nothing,” Rohan growled. Almost immediately, he seemed to soften. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to speak to you as though you’re a child. I know, though, that you and I come from different backgrounds. I have a twin, and she is a mind-reader, among many other gifts. And somehow, when she came into that power, I gained a little of it. Oh, I can’t actually see into people’s thoughts. But I have a sort of sixth sense that often tells me if things aren’t quite right—or if they are.”
“I understand,” said Paxx. “I think.”
Rohan remained uneasy, stepping here and there as though uncertain where his feet needed to take him. “Listen. Eat something—there’s fruit and meat on the table, leftovers. I’m going to head to the Guild’s compound and have a look at what’s happening.”
“Shall I join you?”
“Yes. Get Serafina and come as soon as you can.”
Rohan didn’t want to tell him what was really on his mind. Had he done so, Paxx would have sprinted all the way across Salem to reach the Guild’s hiding place.
* * *
In eagle form Rohan soared above the woods, his eyes searching below, though he anticipated seeing nothing until he reached his destination. He hoped above all that he’d been wrong; that his worries were based on nothing but stress. Perhaps all of the confusion about Rituals and saving lives was simply eating away at him, creating unnecessary and excess concern.
As the slate roof of the compound came into view, he hurried, flapping his massive wings until he reached the building’s north end.
There below him, he saw it: a gallows, newly built, set up for a hanging. Perhaps this was intended only for the evening to come in order to further coerce Serafina into agreeing to the Guild’s terms. That noose would be around Circe’s neck, they’d said, unless her sister gave in.
But as Rohan circled above, people began to leave the building below, walking directly to the freshly-assembled structure. Two men guided a third, who walked between them.
It was Phist.
Rohan had seen him with his brother, the first time he’d laid eyes on Paxx, walking the trail through the woods. He was indeed being punished, no doubt for his brother’s betrayal and escape. They intended to hang him, and it looked like they would waste no time in doing so.
Rohan flew down into the woods, landing softly, and shifted into his wolf form: grey with streaks of black, light eyes glowing in the shadows as he stalked forward.
By the side of the building he saw Melina standing flanked by what he assumed were her two mates: large men, their faces taut, serious. Hers appeared docile, almost content, as though this show of power were as pleasant as an evening at the opera. Taking away a young man’s life out of spite, revenge.
Rohan wished he had a weapon that he could throw; some way to attack that wouldn’t immediately draw all of their eyes. But he knew what he had to do, and it would be difficult. He was alone, and would have to contend with Melina and her mates, not to mention the Guild’s guards.
The two men guided Phist up a set of wooden steps to his destiny, and there he stood, looking back at Melina and her companions.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” called the red-haired woman, self-satisfied and smug.
“I’m innocent,” he said. “I haven’t done anything.”
Phist’s face was a combination of fear and resolve. He was a little younger than his brother; in some ways he resembled a boy, though he was nineteen and capable of a full beard. And this was his fate: to be killed by his own kind, for nothing more than his blood tie to an escaped brother.
“You have considered betraying us on more than one occasion,” said Melina. “Your brother tried to secure your safety yesterday. But I know your heart. I know that you are a traitor to the Guild. And Paxx proved it, by escaping. He will join you later; don’t you worry. We were going to hang young Circe as well, but I’ve found a better use for her. Such powers would be wasted in death. We are going to mate her in a Ritual.”
So that was it. Not only were they attempting to force Serafina to submit; they would inflict the fate on her younger sister, as well. These so-called shifters were distorting the good name of their kind, not to mention their sacred traditions. There was no love involved in their Rituals. No tenderness. Simply force.
For the first time, Phist grew visibly angry.
“No!” he cried. “You can’t do that to her.”
“So we see it in the flesh: your resistance to the Guild’s policies,” laughed Melina. “You who pretend not to be a traitor to us. It’s a pity that we can’t include you in the Ritual, Phist. You seem to have taken a liking to young Circe.”
“She’s good, and kind. You cannot force her like this. It’s wrong,” he said.
“I beg to differ. It seems entirely right to me. We are granting her the gift of power. We are infusing her with the blood of shifters. There is no better fate for a woman, whether she knows it or not.”
“What you do is vile,” spat Phist, the veins in his neck throbbing as he attempted to free himself. “I would kill you for it.”
“You would,” she said. “But you can’t, can you? You’re rather helpless. A mere human. To think of the potential that a man like you had. So confrontational. So cocky. Well, it’s a shame, but we must do what we must do.” She turned to the men who held Phist. “Finish him off, and make it quick.”
One of the men moved away, taking the noose in both hands as his peer held on to the young man with all his strength. The men’s own faces remained stoic, expressionless, and Rohan wondered if they were trying to conceal their own disdain for this sorceress of a woman who seemed to dominate their male community.
The executioner placed the noose over Phist’s head, tightening it around his neck. There would be no time to wait for Paxx’s and Serafina’s arrival. It was to Rohan alone to save this young man.
* * *
Paxx’s steps to Serafina’s house were quick and long, but he cursed his legs for being human as he strode, recalling Rohan’s ability to gallop and fly.
Something in the other man’s tone had worried him. Rohan seemed generally unflappable, and it was disconcerting to see him in a state of stress.
Serafina was already up and about when he arrived, feeding Nyx the usual table scraps.
“We need to go,” he said when she opened the door. “Now.”
“What is it?” she asked, pulling on a long, wide scarf to cover her shoulders.
“I don’t know. Rohan’s flown ahead to the compound. Something’s up.”
Over the course of several trips, Paxx had worked out the quickest route between Ealdor and the compound, managing to navigate around Salem once again. He didn’t want to risk being seen by any stray Guild members who would no doubt be on the hunt for him.
Their rapid walk was mostly done in silence. Nothing needed to be said that hadn’t already been uttered by both. Desire was a given. But this morning’s task was to ensure that each still had a sibling by the end of the day.
When they arrived at the south end of the compound, they saw no guards. But a commotion could be heard farther along, and Paxx dashed ahead, through the woods, attempting to remain hidden as he looked. In the distance, a plume of black smoke rose up, as though a fire had just been lit beyond the stone building.
A dragon—Rohan’s dragon—flapped in the air, hovering, as a blast of flame shot forth from his mouth. Below him stood a pyre of blackened wood; what looked like a scaffold engulfed in flame. At its centre, the remnants of a hanging rope.
And in the dragon’s talons was a man.
Phist.
Beside the building, Melina stood glaring, hatred glowing in her eyes as she studied the dragon. Her mates Crow and Mace attempted to be rounding up their men, though to what end, Paxx didn’t know. These were humans, those members of the Guild who had not yet mated. They couldn’t fly. They were no match for Rohan.
&
nbsp; But Melina was.
She pointed a hand at him, uttering a few words in a language that Paxx didn’t understand. Slowly the dragon descended, as though the force of gravity just below him had grown in intensity. He resisted by flapping his enormous wings, but Melina managed to get him so close to the ground that Phist’s feet touched.
“Take him,” she commanded. “Both of them.”
Men darted towards the dragon even as Rohan regained his strength, taking off into the sky and flying out of reach of Melina’s Craft.
“Oh, thank God,” said Paxx.
“They were going to hang him,” Serafina said softly, dumbfounded. “They would have killed him.”
“Yes.”
“We need to find Circe. Something must be done.”
Serafina’s eyes scanned the second floor windows of the compound, looking for any sign of her sister. At last they landed on a raven, perched on a sill in one of the cells towards the south end.
“Sidian,” she said. And, as though he heard her, the bird turned his head towards her. A moment later, Circe stood in the window, her face smiling down at her sister’s.
Obsidian flew down, landing on Serafina’s arm. She extracted a stone from her bag and, sliding her index finger over its surface, crafted a rune.
“Bring this to her,” she said to the raven. He took it in his talons and flew up to his Magistress.
“What was that?” asked Paxx.
“Sleep,” she said softly. “It will render her unconscious. It’s my only hope. Surely they won’t hang an unconscious woman.”
“We need to go back,” said Paxx. “To find Rohan and Phist. I’m sorry, but we need to.”
“Yes,” said Sera, her mind seemingly elsewhere. “But Circe…”
“Rohan will help us to get her back. I know he will. For now, though, they’ll be scouring the lands for him. We need to get out of here. And something tells me they won’t be building another gallows for some time. I think Circe’s safe from hanging, at least.”
When they arrived at Sera’s house, they found Rohan and Phist inside. Paxx’s brother was shaken up but otherwise unharmed. Rohan, once again, was half-naked.
“Serafina,” said Phist. “Your sister—they want her for a Ritual. They’re not going to hang her.”
“Thank the goddess,” she said. “For small mercies, at least. If my rune worked, she’ll be in no shape for a Ritual for at least twenty-four hours. You don’t think they’d take advantage of her while she’s sleeping, do you?”
“I wouldn’t put much past them,” said Paxx. “But no. They won’t do that. The female has to be engaged, at least a little.”
“So we have a little time. But as Paxx said, they will be coming for you. All of you. Rohan—that dragon—“
“It was nothing,” he said, his features serious. Normally he would have felt pride in his abilities, but now he simply felt helpless. Circe was still a prisoner and that woman had nearly bettered him, pulling him to the ground with ease. His powers were simply not strong enough to take her on himself. “I need to be alone for a little, to think,” he said. “Warn the others that an attack is imminent. You’ll find me at the cabin.”
“So be it,” said Paxx. “And Rohan—thank you for what you did. You don’t know what it means to me.”
“I have a twin,” he replied. “I have an idea of the bond between siblings.”
“Of course.”
With that, Rohan turned away, leaving via the front door.
In her chest, Serafina’s heart seemed to break into several pieces: one belonging to Circe, one to Paxx and one to Rohan. There seemed to be nothing left over for herself.
Chapter 24
Promises
The bell would be too loud, signalling all those for miles around that Ealdor was on high alert, and so Serafina made her way quickly to Hedy’s to warn her of the threat against their village. This would begin a chain reaction of communiqués between the members of the Sisterhood.
“We’ll take the Aspirants and head to the woods,” Hedy told her. “But you go ahead. Deal with what needs dealing with. You’ll know where to find us when the time comes.”
Hedy didn’t ask any questions about the Ritual that had never taken place, which Sera took to mean that she’d already deduced the facts. It wasn’t happening. And so it was to Sera alone to figure out how to save her sister.
She told Paxx and Phist that she was headed to Rohan’s cabin, and they followed from a distance, protective eyes exploring the landscape. So far, all was quiet around the town. No doubt the Guild was making plans, preparing for what may come.
Sera found Rohan inside the cabin, sitting in quiet contemplation at the small table.
“What you did today,” she said as she stepped inside quietly. “What you have done for me since your arrival here, has been a miracle. I don’t know where you came from or how you found me, but you almost make me believe in angels.”
Rohan let out a bitter laugh. “A fire-breathing one,” he said. “Or a wolf with wings. More demon than angel.”
She walked up behind him and laid a hand on his bare back, and he found himself straightening, leaning into the pressure, his eyes closed as he took in the sensation of her touch.
“I want to save my sister,” she said. “More than anything. If I must, I will go to the Guild and offer up my body to do it.”
Rohan turned quickly and looked at her, his mouth opening to utter a reply, but Sera put a finger to his lips, hushing him. At that moment, Paxx appeared in the doorway while his brother, sensing a quiet tension, remained outside, on alert for intruders.
“I would do that for her. I would do anything for her.” Sera pivoted, looking at Paxx as she spoke. “But I wish to perform the Ritual with you two. That is for me. That is for my sake, for my needs—not for power, but for whatever it is that I feel for you both. Love. I should simply say the word. I feel love for you, though I’ve known you both so briefly.”
She took a few steps through the cabin and turned back to address them both.
“I cannot bear the thought of losing either of you, ever. Seeing Melina at work, trying to harm you, Rohan, and you, Paxx—it broke my heart. You have stirred something inside me, as though mingling with my mind, my very blood. For that, for you, I would walk away from the Sisterhood. I would jump into a new life, a strange one that I can’t begin to predict, in this or any century. And I would do so happily and willingly, because I can’t imagine a more pleasant fate than to be with two such men. Please. Rohan. Paxx. Consider what I am saying. And know that I would give myself more than willingly—you would deprive me by denying me this.”
Rohan stood, his heart pounding inside his chest as he contemplated her beautiful face, her sincerity. This was what he’d wanted. This was her doing—her calling. She had asked them, and for the right reasons this time.
She continued her speech, working to convince two men who didn’t need convincing. “I set eyes on each of you at different times, but inside me the same reaction occurred. Like a storm inside my chest. I can’t describe it in any other way. I didn’t know what it was; I supposed that it was simply my age, that I’m a woman. You’re attractive men, of course. Any woman would find you both enticing. But it’s not that. It’s something else, something deep inside me, as though a sensation has been awoken that was never meant to rear its head.”
“I know the one,” said Rohan. “As do you, no doubt,” he added, turning to Paxx, who nodded.
“I need you both,” said Sera. “I feel as though I would suffocate if I lost either of you. As though I wouldn’t be able to live. And so whether Circe were free or not, I would feel the same. Please. Know that I mean every word.”
“I know it,” said Rohan. “And I will give myself to you fully.”
“As will I,” said Paxx. “Every cell in my body is yours if you want it, Serafina.”
“I do. I want every bit—every inch—of you both.”
* * *
In the tradition of those of the Old Blood, candles were lit that night in a small outdoor clearing. Normally the Ritual took place in a bed, but no bed in the vicinity was large enough for these three. Sera was glad of it, too, as she had dreamed of spending a night under the stars with these two men since her time with Rohan during the Bonding ceremony.
There had been no sign of the Guild yet; no infiltration by their members into Ealdor. The Crones had no doubt ushered the younger members of the Sisterhood into secret buildings in the woods, casting protective spells around them so that only their own kind could easily find them. Unfortunately, this still rendered them vulnerable to Melina’s detection—but the hope was that she would hold off searching, at least for the night.
Phist remained at Rohan’s cabin, knowing what the Ritual entailed. That the three needed time alone, to bond in their own rite. He would wait, keep a watchful eye on the woods and hope for the best for all those he cared about.
Sera, Paxx and Rohan found themselves standing near their makeshift bed, shy eyes beholding one another as they prepared themselves mentally for the night ahead. Each was blissful and eager to touch and to be touched. But also hesitant to move aggressively. The night called for gentleness.
“Serafina,” said Paxx, who stepped towards her as he gazed at her beautiful face, lit by the light of the candles which surrounded her. “When I first laid eyes on you I imagined what it would be like to kiss you. To caress you, to lie with you. I was certain in that one moment that you were to be mine, though I couldn’t dream of how we would come to this place.”
She smiled, extending her hand towards him. “Nor could I,” she said. “I wanted to hate you, to see you as my enemy. But your face was too good, too kind, too handsome to resist. And you,” she said, turning to Rohan. “You, who somehow turned up on my doorstep, stepped out of another time and place. It is because of you that all this has happened. That we’re all together now.”
Illusions: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Seekers Book 1) Page 16
