by Meg Anne
“We serve,” they said, their voices booming across the clearing.
“You guys,” she whispered, her fingers pressing into her lips to stave off the emotion that was threatening to overpower her. She needed to focus now, and could not afford to let go of the righteous anger that had been guiding her until now.
Ronan’s eyes met hers first, his smirk full of male arrogance as he said, “I never swore loyalty to Von; hopefully he won’t be too butthurt when he finds out about this.”
Snickers met the comment and Helena felt her lips twitch as she said dryly, “I won’t tell him if you don’t.”
With a wink, Ronan stood, and the others followed. “What do you need us to do?”
Amusement fled as quickly as it had come. “Be ready,” she said, her power making her hair dance and eyes glow, “this visit may not go unnoticed.”
Chapter Nineteen
Von woke with a start. Something was coming and his instincts were screaming for him to prepare. He shifted in the bed, arms and legs still bound with magic-enhanced chains. Von snarled and pulled, feeling the chains go taut instead of give. Growling with frustration, he worked himself into a sitting position and stared in the direction of the door.
He could feel his heart racing, but instead of panicking he felt himself slip into the intense focus that always preceded a battle. Even chained he would put up a fight. Von’s eyes took in every detail of the room, searching for something that he could use while also cataloguing potential threats. During his assessment, he felt a gentle tug along his bond with Helena. It was the strongest the bond had felt since being trapped here.
The tug came again, more insistent this time. Von hesitated, torn between staying vigilant and wanting to follow the pull. Was this what had awoken him? The possibility gave him pause. Maybe it was not a threat after all. Focusing on their bond, he tentatively asked, “Mira?”
The answering voice was not the sweet, slightly husky voice he associated with his mate. It was raw power that responded, “Mate.”
Von snapped to attention, his own magic rising to the surface in response to Helena’s. This was not to be a moment shared between lovers then, but a Kiri calling upon one in her Circle. There was a part of him that mourned the fact, wishing to feel her body move beneath his again, even if only in their shared dreams. However, the part of himself that belonged to her could not deny the call to battle he heard in her voice.
From his place on the bed, Von grinned. There was no joy in the expression, only a feral hunger as he answered, “Kiri.”
“We have need of your services, Mate.”
He appreciated the double meaning of the words, and could not help the sexual purr that laced his voice as he asked, “I am always ready to service you, Mira. But perhaps you could specify what it is you require?”
Von felt her amusement and the punch of arousal his words evoked. He closed his eyes as he felt the gentle pull of fingers through his hair followed by a sharp tug and the sting of a bite along the corded muscles of his neck.
“Focus, Mate.”
“Apologies, Lady. What do you need?” Von willed his body to obey as he waited for her to reply.
“Information. We are close, perhaps only a day away. Can you tell us anything about where you are being kept?”
“Very little, unfortunately. I have not left this room, at least as far as I am aware,” he replied apologetically.
There was no censure in her voice when she asked, “What of your captors?”
“The blonde is the one calling the shots. There’s no question about it. She only visited me the one time you were present, but it is clear that she has something on Gillian. As to what that is I couldn’t hazard a guess. I also couldn’t say which of the Mother’s branches she’s been gifted with. I have never felt it’s like.”
“Corrupted,” Helena rumbled, still using the harmonious voice that indicated she was channeling her power.
Von considered the word and nodded, “Yes, that is what I feel. She has twisted her magic; it makes her… unpredictable.”
He could feel her sigh, disappointed that they had so little to go on. Not wanting to let her down, he offered, “Gillian still visits me daily. She is usually only here long enough to drug me, but perhaps there’s a way for me to get past her.”
There was a pause while Helena thought over his offer. Finally, she said, “Not alone, and certainly not while bound. It is not safe for you to wander through the castle on your own. Especially since we do not know enough about the enemies you could encounter. No, Mate. Stay put. I have another idea, someone else who might be able to tell us about the blonde.” Helena paused again and then added, “Just because you cannot escape, does not mean you should have to remain chained.” Von felt a surge of molten power rush through him and then all four chains snapped. He pulled his arms down, his muscles protesting and welcoming the movement in equal measure.
“While I truly appreciate the freedom, Mira, could we not have started with that part?” he snarked.
“Apologies, Mate. I did not think to try intentionally using my power in this way,” came the chagrined reply.
“I was only teasing, Mira. There’s no need to apologize. And were you referring to using your power through our bond again?” he asked while rubbing the tender skin at his wrists.
More magic filled him, soothing and alleviating the pain in both his wrists and ankles as she said, “Yes, exactly. It feels like I am trying to send something as vast as the ocean through a hole the size of a pin. There’s just too much power to funnel in that way, especially if my intention is not to destroy. Instead, it is safer and easier to tap into our bond and have my power reinforce your own. Then it’s as simple as thinking of your body as an extension of mine. I just need to picture what I want it to do, and it responds. Honestly, it’s still foreign and a bit awkward, like I am trying to put on a pair of trousers that were made to fit someone else. But it’s getting easier.”
Von laughed at her analogy, and asked, “Do you think you could make that connection with someone else? Use your Spirit magic to influence their actions from a distance?”
There was a pause before she spoke again, “I’m not sure. It’s possible, I suppose, but I think it would be hard without having the kind of bond that you and I share. It would likely not work in the same way.”
“You would have to use force,” he clarified, following her train of thought.
“Yes, I think so. Generally, when my magic influences other’s, it is tied to the intensity of my emotions. I am sad and so others cry—”
“Or you are thinking of me and suddenly everyone has need of a dark room,” Von teased.
“Sometimes they don’t even wait for the room,” Helena replied dryly, “but yes. It is my emotion and power that drives them to act, but the actions they take remain their own. To manipulate their will to the point that I am forcing them to behave in a specific way... that is something else entirely. Add distance to that equation, and it only becomes more unlikely. It is our bond that allows me to tap into your power at all, and even still the distance between us interfered in my ability to reach you until now.”
“Not just distance, but two meddling bitches who kept me trapped within the mist. You could not reach me because I was lost; the part of me that is my essential self was locked within the furthest depths of my mind,” Von said darkly, as the familiar burn of anger flared within him.
“Yes,” she agreed sadly, “you were lost, but I could still feel you. I just didn’t know how to find you or even where to even look. Our bond is a tether; it connects us even beyond something such as space. When you are close enough, it acts as a compass; an instinctual pull that will unerringly lead me to you. If we are too far, it is simply a psychic link. A way to remain in contact and know if you are safe. I think, had you not been taken so far away, even trapped in the mist, I would have been able to reach you. We were too far apart; our bond was stretched to its limit.”
There wa
s something in her voice, something she was not saying, that had him tensing on the bed. The torture, being unable to save her and forced to watch while she was torn apart... his visions had not been just meaningless nightmares. They had been a side effect. A warning. “The tether was breaking,” he said with a feeling of horror so great he could hardly process it.
“I-I think so.”
The thought of losing their connection, of losing her, was too much to even contemplate. He could not imagine a future, a life, without her in it. “I would have died there, had you not found a way back to me,” he concluded with certainty, the image of his broken body curled around itself coming back to him. “Had the tether snapped and I lost you, Helena, I would have ceased to exist. There is no place for me in a world without you.”
“Stop, please,” she begged, and Von could feel the tears she was fighting back choking his own throat. “I cannot bear the thought of it. I have already seen what happens if the tether breaks. If something had happened to you, Von... something worse than you merely being kept from me. If the day came where I could no longer feel even a hint of you within me... I would have torched the earth in my despair. What was left of my soul would have died with you, and everything that makes me who I am would be gone. Except my power, which would remain, unchecked.”
“Your trial,” he remembered, haunted by the memory of her covered in blood in her bed as she told him what she had seen.
Helena did not need to confirm his words. Instead she said, “You keep me grounded and whole. My power is too great for me to contain on my own. As my Mate, you are the balance. If I lose you, Von, there is nothing that will stop me from destroying everything and everyone.”
“Mother of Shadows.”
“That would only be the beginning. By the time I finished, nothing would remain,” she gently corrected.
“So you will not lose me,” he declared. He could feel her struggling to contain her emotions and did the only thing he could to comfort her. “No need to be so dramatic, Mate. You could simply settle for telling me that you love me, like other wives do.”
Von felt her incredulity and the wave of astonished mirth that came in response to his words. “And what do you know about other wives, Mate?” she asked in a dangerous purr before adding more to herself, “besides, you started it.”
Von was grinning despite her revelations. All he knew, was now that her voice was once again in his mind, he felt more whole than he had since first waking from the nightmare he’d been trapped in. They had shared moments, but nothing close to the true strength of their bond. He had felt its lack more than he had realized.
“I have missed this, Mira.”
“As have I, Mate.” There was a sadness that tinged her words and he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and hold her.
“Soon,” he promised fiercely.
“Aye, but first we deal with the bitches who thought to come between us.” The promise of violence in her voice excited him more than it should have. He loved that his woman was as much of a warrior as he was, that he did not have to apologize for, or hide, that part of himself from her.
“Aye,” he agreed, echoing her words as a cruel smile curved his lips. “I look forward to bearing witness to your justice, lady.”
“Not as much as I look forward to giving it,” she crooned. He could feel her sigh as she said a bit wistfully, “I must leave you now, I need to conserve my power for what lies ahead.”
He bit back the whimper of protest at her words.
“I cannot do much about you being physically alone... not yet,” she continued, “but know that you are not alone. I am here if you have need of me. Don’t forget to make it appear as though you are still bound when she comes for you.” A whisper-soft caress stroked the length of his body and he felt her pull away from him. When he tried to follow, protesting the growing distance, her voice swelled in his mind, “I am still here, my love.”
He flushed, embarrassed at the need for her that clawed at him. Hearing her in his mind again, and feeling her steady presence, was a balm to his soul. He had been lost to the mist for so long; he had forgotten what being whole felt like. Not that he was whole, not yet. He wouldn’t be until there was not even a breath separating him from his Mate, but it was a start.
Instead of responding, he settled back into the bed and waited, knowing it would not be long before he would be whole again.
Chapter Twenty
Rowena watched her daughter’s retreating back from her place on the throne. Her patience had long since worn thin. It was time to play the aggressor once again and force the imposter to come out of hiding. There were whispers that she was finally drawing near, but Rowena had been on high alert ever since the girl’s mate first came to stay in the castle. So while she skulked about in the forest, believing that she would be the one to start this war, what she didn’t realize was that Rowena was already ten steps ahead of her. It had been her intention, after all, to initiate this exact scenario. Now that the time for action drew near, however, Rowena found that she was no longer willing to wait for the other woman to make the next move.
Her fingers tapped restlessly on the wooden arm of her throne as she waited for her daughter to return with their prisoner. It was insulting that she should have to wait at all but Rowena forced herself to remain calm. No good would come from her losing her temper now, and these things take time.
Minutes ticked away and Rowena shifted restlessly in her chair wondering what was taking her daughter so long. That girl was getting more useless with each passing day. Soon the threat of her brother’s life would not be enough to ensure her willing compliance, but that was a problem she could easily deal with just as soon as she handled the imposter.
The silence around her grew as she waited, but Rowena didn’t mind silence. After spending years in the Palace surrounded by sycophants and the incessant chatter of voices she almost appreciated it. Once she was back on the throne, she would have her fill of company again. For now, the remoteness of her family’s home suited her just fine. If nothing else, it allowed her to build up the army of Shadows that had become so useful these past few months. The mindless beings with super-human strength were very effective at quelling protests and rebellion. Rowena’s lips curled into a smile at the thought.
Rowena felt a ripple along the current of her power, followed by a stinging lash, much like a whip, against the edge of her awareness. The pulse of power caused Rowena to freeze in place. Was it possible that the little bitch had found a way to sneak in after all? No, Rowena realized, her arrival would have much more fanfare than that.
Precautions had been taken to ensure that their prisoner would not be in any state to access or use his own power. Even so, Rowena placed sensors in his room so she or her guards would be able to act quickly in the event he got free. The power flare she felt was one of the sensors going off. Since it was tied to her own strength, the release of power instantly alerted her wherever she was. She was more than a little intrigued that it would go off now after so much time had passed. Just when she was about to put the next step of her plan into action.
It was also too much of a coincidence for her to ignore. Rowena rose swiftly and crossed the room. Apparently, it was time for her to engage in a more direct manner with their prisoner.
Gillian stood outside of the door, hesitating only for a moment before pressing her hand to its cool wooden surface and stepping inside. Von’s eyes snapped to her, tracking her movements like a predator assessing prey. She swallowed, uncomfortable with the comparison. She did not appreciate feeling hunted when he was the one in chains. Relieved to see that much, at least, had not changed, Gillian braved a few steps closer to the bed.
She eyed him dispassionately, only mildly disappointed that he was no longer naked. As much as she had appreciated the visual feast, her mother had ordered that she dress him after dosing him a few nights ago in “preparation” and she was not about to force the issue. Gillian wasn’t sur
e how giving him skin-tight leather pants and a fitted white tunic did much to prepare him for anything. If she had to guess, it was more her mother’s way of removing the distraction of his heavily muscled body, since a naked Von was hard to ignore. Mother knows she had enough trouble ignoring that temptation herself.
Mouth suddenly dry, Gillian licked her lips and cleared her throat.
“Meal time already?” he drawled insolently.
Gillian shook her head, “You have indulged in our hospitality for long enough, Holbrooke. It’s time for you to get to work paying your debt.” She knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words left her lips.
Silver eyes glittered with malice, “Let me loose and I’ll begin repaying you for your hospitality right now.”
Gillian forced herself to let out a shaky laugh and roll her eyes in a show of haughty amusement. “Oh, Von, always so quick to threaten violence. I was merely teasing. Let us start again, shall we? No more secluded meals in your room. Now that you are well, you will be joining me upstairs.”
She waited for a reaction to her announcement, but he did not so much as flinch.
Taking a steadying breath, she tried again. “You are coming with me,” she announced with false bravado.
The smile that stretched across his face showed how easily he saw through her. Lifting a mocking brow, he asked, “Who’s going to make me?”
“I am,” said a voice just behind her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Helena could feel the tendrils of her magic melding back into her reservoir of power. She took a deep breath, the weight that had been lodged in her chest for months no longer present after finally being able to speak with Von through their bond again. There had been so much she wanted to say, things she could feel that he wanted to say to her as well, but it had not been the right time. They would have time for such things once she was able to hold him in her arms again.
